Flooding

The Engineering Division is monitoring lake levels and the potential to flood year round. To keep our community informed, we’re sharing a weekly update with you, and as frequently as needed, should a major rain event happen. We are not sending these to elevate concern, this is just a new communication option for us to keep you informed as flooding deeply impacted our community last summer, and may be top of mind when rain moves through our area.

The Yahara Lakes are managed by Dane County. Up-to-date information on lake levels can be found at the County’s Lake Levels Webpage.

Current Lake levels: Oct. 18, 2019

Lake Mendota

• Current elevation: 851.66 feet
• Down 0.36 feet from last week
• 1.14 feet below the 100-year flood (which is 852.80 feet)
• 1.08 feet below historic high (Historic High is 852.74, June 6, 2000)

Lake Monona

• Current elevation: 847.11 feet
• Down 0.32 feet from last week
• 0.59 feet below 100-year flood (which is 847.7 feet)
• 1.42 feet below the historic high (which is 848.53 feet, Sept. 6, 2018)

Currently, the lakes are all moving in the right direction after a relatively dry week. Monona remains above our risk elevation of 847.00, however we continue to move into a season where the risk of thunderstorm actively is low.

Risk assessment

The weather forecast looks reasonably good with light rain forecast for Sunday and early next week, but not an all-day affair. If the forecast holds, this should not cause us flash flooding in the isthmus area. If, however, the rain event includes thunderstorm activity, low-lying areas on and adjacent to the Isthmus will be subject to increased risk of flash flooding due to the reduced capacity of the storm water system resulting from high lake levels.

We recommend you avoid parking in areas known to have flooded in the past when heavy rains are predicted. If flash flooding does occur do not drive into flooded areas.

Some areas of potential concern for flash flooding during intense rain events are show on this website.