Wisconsin
Storm damage could impact Memorial Day Weekend camping in Wisconsin
BLUE MOUNDS, Wis. (WMTV) – People camping this Memorial Day Weekend at Wisconsin State Parks could notice some debris from Tuesday’s storm on the trails.
According to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, all parks will be open but crews will still be out cleaning up down trees, power lines and other damage caused by winds and tornadoes earlier this week.
DNR and Wisconsin State Parks Recreation Partnerships Chief Missy VanLanduyt said 99% of their camping lots are sold out this weekend, something the staff is happy about, but they want people to be aware of remaining storm debris.
“You’ll generally notice that the properties are open and they’re safe and you can recreate, but there will be a lot of brush and down trees in some areas,” she said. “So, we’re just asking folks to be aware, avoid it and to let our staff have the space to keep cleaning it up over the next couple of weeks.”
VanLanduyt said people who come across fallen trees, branches or other debris should walk around it, over it or avoid it. She said safety is what’s most important. Campers should not try to clean up anything.
“Some folks love a chainsaw!” VanLanduyt said. “They want to come out and be really helpful. People love our state parks system and they’re really trying to be helpful, but our staff is trained in first aid, certified chainsaw operators, so they know what they’re doing to clean this up.”
Camper Lisa Cappelli appreciated the DNR’s work.
“They do such a wonderful job of maintaining the trails for people like me,” she said. “So, what I hope what people experience this weekend is a lot of appreciation for people who are doing the good work of keeping the trails safe for us.”
VanLanduyt said Blue Mound State Park’s campsites haven’t had power since Tuesday. She said the staff’s office has power, but electricity has not returned for the applicable campsites. If this power does not return by Friday, she said the staff will email people with reservations to notify them, but the sites will still be useable.
Click here to download the WMTV15 News app or our WMTV15 First Alert weather app.
Copyright 2024 WMTV. All rights reserved.
Wisconsin guard Andrew Rohde reflects on early March Madness exit
Wisconsin guard Andrew Rohde said the Badgers ‘thought we could do so many things’ in the NCAA Tournament before it ended abrupty with an upset loss.
Wisconsin men’s basketball has added a sharpshooting wing via the transfer portal.
Miami (Ohio) transfer Eian Elmer has signed with the Badgers, the team announced April 18. The 6-foot-7 wing will join UW with one year of eligibility remaining.
Elmer averaged a career-high 12.7 points and 5.9 rebounds while shooting 49.8% from the field and 42.9% from 3-point range in 2025-26. His production helped the RedHawks go 32-2 and earn an at-large NCAA Tournament bid.
“We are really excited to add another excellent addition to our spring signees,” UW coach Greg Gard said in a release. “Eian brings a wealth of experience and scoring punch as a 6-7 wing. … A terrific shooter, his skillset and production fit excellently into our plan as we build out next year’s team. Throughout our evaluation process, our staff loved his size, power and skill and truly believe he will thrive in our system.”
Elmer is Wisconsin’s third transfer portal addition since the end of the 2025-26 season, joining former George Washington guard Trey Autry and former Hofstra forward Victory Onuetu. UW also added Australian guard Owen Foxwell.
The additions of Autry, Onuetu and now Elmer leave Gard’s staff with three more roster spots to fill ahead of the 2026-27 season.
The Badgers are looking to replace much of their production from a 2025-26 team that went 24-11. Nolan Winter is expected to be the team’s only returning starter after John Blackwell and Aleksas Bieliauskas entered the transfer portal and Nick Boyd and Andrew Rohde exhausted their eligibility.
MILWAUKEE – Friday’s severe storms have passed. And with that, the threat of any severe weather has also passed for the immediate future as no storms or rain are expected for several days.
However, plenty of damage remains across southeastern Wisconsin as of Saturday morning, in addition to the ongoing flooding threat.
Several area rivers are at flood stage, and there are multiple river flood warnings in effect.
FOX6 Weekend WakeUp on Saturday begins at 6 a.m.
On the scene in the morning
What we know:
Farmstead damage in Franklin
FOX6’s Hayley Spitler is in Franklin on Saturday morning, April 18, getting a daylight look at the damage from last night’s storms.
Storm damage in Caledonia
Friday’s storms left quite the mark across southern and southeastern Wisconsin, including at L and L Farms and Greenhouse in Caledonia.
FOX6 Weather Extras
Local perspective:
Meanwhile, FOX6Now.com offers a variety of extremely useful weather tools to help you navigate the stormy season. They include the following:
FOX6 Storm Center app
FOX LOCAL Mobile app
FOX Weather app
Maps and radar
We have a host of maps and radars on the FOX6 Weather page that are updating regularly — to provide you the most accurate assessment of the weather. From a county-by-county view to the Midwest regional radar and a national view — it’s all there.
SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News
School and business closings
When the weather gets a little dicey, schools and businesses may shut down. Monitor the latest list of closings, cancellations, and delays reported in southeast Wisconsin.
FOX6 Weather Experts in social media
The Source: Information in this post was compiled by the FOX6 Weather Experts.
How Aleksas Bieliauskas has grown in first season with Wisconsin Badgers
Wisconsin coach Greg Gard has high praise for Aleksas Bieliauskas about a month into the Lithuania native’s freshman season.
MADISON – One of Wisconsin men’s basketball’s departing transfers is headed to an SEC program with some connections to the Badgers.
Ex-UW forward Aleksas Bieliauskas has committed to South Carolina, he announced on April 17.
Bieliauskas left the Badgers after appearing in all 35 games as a freshman and making 28 starts. He averaged 4.9 points and 4.4 points in 20.2 minutes, and highlights of his freshman year included his five 3-pointers in UW’s upset over eventual national champion Michigan.
He’ll join a program with plenty of Wisconsin ties. South Carolina head coach Lamont Paris was an assistant coach at Wisconsin from 2010-17 on Bo Ryan and Greg Gard’s staffs. South Carolina assistant coach Tanner Bronson and director of video services Roman DiPasquale also are UW alumni.
Bieliauskas is the second of UW’s four departing transfers to commit to a new school. Reserve forward Jack Robison committed to North Dakota State on April 15. Starting guard John Blackwell and reserve forward Riccardo Greppi have not announced their next schools yet.
-
Idaho2 minutes ago
Idaho Lottery results: See winning numbers for Powerball, Pick 3 on April 18, 2026
-
Illinois8 minutes ago5 tornadoes confirmed in Illinois from Friday’s storms
-
Indiana14 minutes agoAn Indiana district turned to voters to fund more preschool seats. Here’s what happened next.
-
Iowa20 minutes agoVote: Who Should be Iowa’s High School Athlete of the Week? (4/19/2026)
-
Kansas26 minutes agoKansas Losing Momentum With Key Transfer Target After New Visits
-
Kentucky32 minutes agoKentucky is poised to land either Donnie Freeman or Sebastian Rancik this weekend, per report
-
Louisiana38 minutes ago‘Growth pays for growth’: Entergy’s Fair Share Plus model to save Louisiana customers $2.8 billion
-
Maine44 minutes ago18 jaw-dropping views from Katahdin to help you plan for warmer weather