Heavy rains close highways in northwestern Wisconsin

As much as a foot of rain fell in northwestern Wisconsin over the weekend, closing some highways as authorities warned people not to travel.

A state of emergency was declared in Douglas County on Sunday and sections of U.S. Highways 2, 35, 53, 63 and 137 closed because of flooding, according to the Wisconsin Department of Emergency Management.

Heavy rains in northern Wisconsin dropped 7 to 12 inches of rain over the weekend with the most damage reported in Douglas, Ashland, Bayfield, Price, Iron and Sawyer counties.

Several homes were damaged by falling trees in Sawyer County and the Lac Courte Oreilles Nation. Some rivers, including the Nemadji and Brule, were running high and flooding.

The Douglas County forestry trail was shut down and access to Amnicon Falls State Park near Superior closed at 1:15 p.m. Sunday because of concerns about the safety of visitors on roads and walking bridges.

Meanwhile, a heat advisory for most of southern Wisconsin ended at 7 p.m. Sunday,  though that doesn't mean the end of oven-like temperatures. Heat indexes are expected to reach the middle to upper 90s Monday, particularly along and south of Interstate 94.

There's a chance for thunderstorms in the Milwaukee area throughout Monday as a cold front moves through. Temperatures should begin dropping into the 60s by Monday evening.

The forecast also calls for the possibility of thunderstorms Tuesday as well as Thursday through Saturday.

Elsewhere, a tornado was reported near Poynette in Columbia County on Saturday evening. The twister was a minor F-0 tornado that traveled only 1/10th of a mile for two minutes, the National Weather Service reported.