>> FLOOD WARNINGS IN WISCONSIN, ESPECIALLY ALONG THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER HAVE SPHRAFO FORECASTERS T RECORD HIGH WATER.

IT IS EXPECTED TO CREST BY 15 FEET MONDAY EVENING.

FLOOD STAGE IS 12 FEET.

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DESCRIBES THIS AS MAJOR FLOODING LIKELY TO INVOLVE EXTENSIVE INUNDATION OF ROADS, STRUCTURES, AND/OR SIGNIFICANT EVACUATION EFFORTS.

WITH THIS FLOODING FORECAST, THE CITY FIRE DEPARTMENT IS ASKING RESIDENTS TO PREPARE ALONG THE MISSISSIPPI, LACROSSE AND BLACK RIVERS.

STAND IS BEING GIVEN OUT FOR FILLING SANDBAGS AND RESIDENTS ARE TOLD TO MAKE AN EMERGENCY PLAN.

GOVERNOR'S STATE OF EMERGENCY ACTIVATES THE WISCONSIN NATIONAL GUARD WITH THE STATE PATROL RECOMMENDING AGAINST TRAVEL IN HIGH WATER AREAS.

HERE TO DETAIL THE THREAT, MIKE WELVAERT WHO JOINS US.

MIKE, THANK YOU FOR BEING WITH US.

>> IT'S MY PLEASURE.

>> SO WHAT'S THE LATEST ALONG THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER FOR WISCONSIN CITIES AND TOWNS RIGHT NOW?

>> ALL THE SNOW THAT WE HAD THIS WINTER RAPIDLY MELTED WHEN WE HAD THOSE WARM TEMPERATURES A WEEK OR SO AGO AND THEN WE'VE ADDED RAIN ON TOP OF THAT, SO ALL THAT WATER IS WORKING ITS WAY THROUGH THE TRIBUTE STORIESD DOWN INTO THE MAIN STEM OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND THAT WATER IS DOWNSTREAM.

IT IS CLOSE TO CRESTING IN THE TWIN CITIES AND THEY'LL BE SENDING THAT DOWNSTREAM ALONG THE MINNESOTA-WISCONSIN BORDER BY THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK.

>> AND THAT'S WHAT'S HAPPENING OVER THE WEEKEND IS THAT THE RIVER WILL BE RISING FARTHER TOWARD THAT CREST IN THE LACROSSE AND OTHER TOWNS AND CITIES ALONG THE WISCONSIN BORDER THERE?

>> YES, THAT'S CORRECT.

>> WHAT WILL THE FLOODING LOOK LIKE FOR HOMEOWNERS AND TRAVELERS AND BUSINESS OWNERS?

>> WELL, THIS FLOODING THAT WE'RE SOMETHING THIS YEAR, THE MISSISSIPPI DOES EXPERIENCE FLOODING MANY YEARS, BUT THIS YEAR IN TICKER, WATER LEVELS ARE QUITE A BIT HIGHER THAN WE USUALLY SEE.

IT'S LOOKING RIGHT NOW LIKE WE'RE GOING TO SEE CRESTS SOMEWHERE NEAR WHAT HAPPENED IN 2001, MAYBE 1969.

SOME OF THE REALLY BIG FLOOD YEARS THAT WE HAD.

SO IT'S LOOKING LIKE A TOP TWO OR TOP THREE CREST ALONG THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER THROUGHOUT THAT AREA.

>> HOW DANGEROUS IS THIS, THEN?

>> IT'S PRETTY DANGEROUS.

IF YOU'RE GOING TO BE NEAR THE RIVER OR YOU HAVE ANY KIND OF ACTIVITIES THAT TAKE YOU NEAR THE RIVER, BE SURE TO HEED AND FOLLOW ANY DIRECTIONS REGARDING CLOSURES, WHAT LOCAL OFFICIALS MIGHT BE SAYING AS FAR AS WHETHER YOU SHOULD GO INTO THOSE AREAS OR NOT.

IT MAY NOT LOOK LIKE A BIG DEAL, BUT WITH THAT MUCH WATER REALLY IS MOVING AT A PRETTY GOOD CLIP, IT CAN SWEEP YOU OFF YOUR FEET AND YOU CAN BE DOWNSTREAM BEFORE YOU KNOW IT.

YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT KIND OF DEBRIS IS IN THE WATER.

WE'RE SEEING A LOT OF REPORTS OF LARGE TREES AND THINGS LIKE THAT COMING DOWNRIVER.

IN ADDITION TO, UNFORTUNATELY, PEOPLE'S DOCKS AND OTHER TYPES OF DEBRIS THAT HAVE FLOATED AWAY FROM THEM, SO THERE'S A LOT OF DEBRIS IN THE WATER, AND IF YOU WERE TO GET CAUGHT IN ANY OF THAT, IT COULD BE VERY DANGEROUS.

>> THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE, AS WE MENTIONED, SUGGESTED THAT THIS FLOODING INVOLVES EXTENSIVE INUNDATION OF ROADS AND SIGNIFICANT EVACUATION EFFORTS.

IS THAT SOMETHING THAT WAS SEEN WITH THESE KINDS OF RIVER LEVELS PREVIOUSLY?

>> YEAH.

IN THE PAST WHERE WE'VE HAD THESSALONTHESE HIGHER LEVEL FLOE ARE RIVERS UP AND DOWN THE MISSISSIPPI AND ON BOTH SIDES, THE FOLKS WHO LIVE IN THAT AREA KNOW THAT THEY FLOOD FIRST, BUT NOW IS THE TIME TO TAKE THOSE PRECAUTIONS.

WITH WATER LEVELS THIS HIGH, WE HAVEN'T SEEN THIS IN OVER 20 YEARS FOR MANY OF THESE LOCATIONS, AT LEAST, SO TAKE THOSE PREPARATIONS AND GET THOSE DONE SOONER RATHER THAN LATER.

IF YOU'RE IN AN AREA THAT HAPPENS TO GET STRANDED, SO YOU'LL BE LOCKED OUT, YOU SHOULD PROBABLY HAVE A PLAN TO KNOW WHAT YOU CAN DO IF YOU ARE ISOLATED DUE TO HIGH WATER.

CONSIDER EVACUATIONS IF THEY'RE ORDERED BY YOUR LOCAL OFFICIALS.

>> SO THE ENTIRE STATE OF WISCONSIN IS UNDER A STATE OF EMERGENCY FOR FLOODING.

WHAT OTHER AREAS ARE OF GREATEST CONCERN?

>> RIGHT NOW, THE WORST OF THE FLOODING IS REALLY EXPECTED ALONG THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER ITSELF.

HOWEVER, WITH ALL THE RECENT SNOW AND RAIN EVENTS THAT WE'VE HAD, A LOT OF THE RIVERS ARE RUNNING QUITE HIGH AT THE MOMENT.

I KNOW THE WISCONSIN RIVER HAS BEEN QUITE HIGH FOR SEVERAL WEEKS NOW.

I KNOW THERE'S BEEN SOME SIGNIFICANT FLOODING AROUND THE PORTAGE AREA, WORKING ITS WAY DOWN THE WISCONSIN RIVER.

SO ANYWHERE WE SEE ANY ADDITIONAL PRECIPITATION OVER THE COMING WEEKS, WE NEED TO PAY ATTENTION.

GROUND IS PRETTY WET.

ANY RAINFALL IS GOING TO ADD TO FLOOD RISK.

>> WHAT KIND OF ADDITIONAL PRECIPITATION MIGHT YOU BE FORECASTING?

>> RIGHT NOW, THANKFULLY, IT'S LOOKING LIKE WE'RE GOING TO SEE MAYBE SOME LIGHT PRECIPITATION OVER THE NEXT -- WELL, TODAY AND INTO TOMORROW, PERHAPS, BEFORE THIS STORM SYSTEM WE'RE CURRENTLY LOOKING AT PULLS OUT OF THE AREA, BUT BEYOND THAT, WE'RE NOT LOOKING AT ANYTHING REAL SIGNIFICANT FOR AT LEAST SEVEN OR EIGHT DAYS, SO THAT'S GOOD, WE NEED THE TIME TO ALLOW THIS WATER TO WORK ITS WAY THROUGH THE SYSTEM.

>> I READ ON THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WEBSITE THAT WE SHOULD EXPECT FLOODING TO LAST SEVERAL WEEKS, AND SO RIVERS DON'T CREST AND THEN RECEDE QUICKLY.

HOW DOES THAT WORK ITSELF OUT?

>> THE SMALLER TRIBUTARY RIVERS, THEY ONLY HAVE A SMALLER GEOGRAPHIC AREA THAT CONTRIBUTES TO WATER GOING UP AND DOWN IN A RIVER, SO SMALLER TRIBUTARIES, THEY GO UP AND THEY GO DOWN ANYWHERE FROM SIX, EIGHT HOURS TO MAYBE PERHAPS A DAY OR TWO, BUT THE LARGER RIVERS, LIKE THE MISSISSIPPI OR THE WORK, THEY'RE DRAINING A VERY, VERY LARGE GEOGRAPHIC AREA.

ALL THE WATER FROM ALL OF THOSE SMALLER TRIBUTARIES, AS IT MOVES ITS WAY INTO THE LARGE RIVER, ALL THAT WATER HAS TO FROG AND WORK ITS WAY DOWNSTREAM SO IT TAKES A WHILE FOR THAT, AND SO THAT'S WHY WE'RE LOOKING AT THE MISSISSIPPI TO STAY ACTIVE.

IT'S DRAINING FROM NORTHERN AND WESTERN MINNESOTA SO THERE'S A LOT OF WATER COMING, AND ACTUALLY, NORTHERN WISCONSIN AS WELL COMING DOWN THE SAINT CROIX.

ALL OF THOSE ARE BIG CONTRIBUTORS THIS YEAR.

>> MIKE WELVAERT FROM THE