5TH HIGHEST HISTORICAL CREST OF THE CHIPPEWA RIVER IN EAU CLAIRE

   The two rivers in Eau Claire crested Saturday from the tremendous amounts of rainfall we have had the past week; the Eau Claire river cresting at 16.5 feet - about 5 feet above flood stage - and the mighty Chip cresting at 777.7 feet - 4.5 feet above flood stage.  This flooding cause multiple closures around town including: -The Chippewa River Trail - Hobbs boat landing - Lake Street - Owen Park - Riverview Park - Old Abe Trail from Phoenix Park to Dewey Street - First Avenue - Haymarket parking lot - amongst others.  Most of these closures will be back in operation today or tomorrow as the water continues to recede for the next week and a half or so.  Minor damages reported include flooded basements and minor road damage (erosion).

Wisconsin River Flooding - Portage, WI

      As water levels near record highs around the state, a few towns are in moderate danger.  The Portage area has been hit hard by the recent rainfalls.  The town of Caledonia, just west of Portage, has been nearly fully evacuated; just 75 of the town's 300 people remain in their flood-stranded homes.  This could be a terrible idea for these folks as the current levee system is weakening rapidly.  Part of this 14-mile levee system includes dikes primarily made up of sand and dating all the way back to the late 1800's.  If the levee breaks, it could destroy an already flooded access road to one of the town's neighborhoods.  The Wisconsin River raised to an all time (recorded) high this morning of 20.59 feet; the previous record of 20.50 feet was recorded in 1938.

A Hard Rains Gonna Fall - Georgette Nears Mexico

 A Tropical Depression (or cyclone) named 'Georgette' is expected to hit Mexico sometime this evening as reported by the National Hurricane Center.  As of 11 o'clock this morning, Georgette was about 40 miles south of Mexico, heading northwest.  The storm is believed to have sustained winds of 35 miles per hour and is expected to drop 6 inches of rain in parts of Mexico.  A tropical storm watch has been issued by the Mexican government for the coast of mainland Mexico.  Though Georgette is expected to weaken as it hits land, the southern United States (Arizona) is likely to be affected within the next few days. 

WILDFIRE OUT WEST - BOULDER, COLORADO

  The wildfire that started in Boulder, Colorado over the Labor Day weekend was confirmed 100% contained as of Monday by the Incident Command.  During its rampage, The Fourmile Canyon Fire destroyed a reported 169 homes costing approximately $80 million in damage on top of a reported $7 million used to fight the fire.  It took about 1,400 firefighters and six days to finely get a hold of the blaze.  Investigators now believe that the blaze was ignited from a home owner's fire pit that was never fully extinguished.  The irony of it is; the 71 year-old-man whom they believe started the fire is a 20 year veteran of the Fourmile Canyon Fire Department.  Charges could include a fourth-degree arson charge which is when a person "knowingly or recklessly starts or maintains a fire or causes an explosion, on his own property or that of another, and by so doing places another in danger of death or serious bodily injury or places any building or occupied structure of another in danger of damage."  Some homeowners were allowed back into their neighborhoods September 10th to assess the damage, while the rest were allowed back the 14th.  The Boulder blaze ended up burning 6,427 acres of Rocky Mountain territory and if one lesson was learned; no matter how experienced you are with fighting fires - never under estimate the power of some hot unextinguished coals.