Torrential rains shut down Milwaukee airport

Milwaukee’s General Mitchell International Airport re-opened to airline traffic on Friday afternoon after being forced to shut down Thursday evening due to torrential rains. Close to eight inches of rain was reported in just two hours last night, creating havoc with traffic in the Milwaukee area and forcing dozens of flights to be canceled or diverted elsewhere. All flights into and out of the airport were grounded on Thursday evening and Friday morning. The airport is a major hub for both Midwest/Frontier Airlines who recently merged, as well as AirTran Airways. Flights between Milwaukee and the Twin Cities, including those operated by Delta Air Lines, AirTran and Midwest Airlines, were among those canceled.

One runway at MKE became operational about 1 p.m. on Friday afternoon and work crews were attempting to clear flood waters and the resulting debris from the other runway so that it too can be utilized. Weather forecasters are calling for another evening of very heavy rains tonight with the possibility of up to five more inches of rain.

Many travelers were stranded at the airport terminal overnight Thursday, and again on Friday morning they were frustrated to learn that the airport wasn’t yet operational. A severe thunderstorm and flood is in effect for southeastern Wisconsin tonight and into Saturday, with the showers and thunderstorms not expected to be completely done with before perhaps 6 p.m. on Saturday evening.

A check of the Mitchell Airport website on Friday afternoon showed some flights operating on-time, a large number with delays of one to three hours, and still maybe one-in-ten cancelled.