The last two days, at least, JULIE is reporting significant service delays on the Empire builder between Chicago and Lacrosse, what is the issue and will it affect 261's run to chicago next week??? Brad
From another website.... Buses are substituting for the Empire Builder between Chicago and Minneapolis due to flooding in eastern Minnesota and Wisconsin. Several rail routes, including the route of the Builder and some potential detour routes, are blocked by water, mud slides, bridge washouts, and trapped trains. No word on how long the disruptions will last.
The bulk of the rain is supposed to subside by late tomorrow (Friday), but there's more rain predicted for midweek next week. A number of counties across southern Wisconsin have been declared state disaster areas due to flooding. The Great Lakes radar and satellite loops show the storms launching over Nebraska and South Dakota then traveling through Iowa and southern Minnesota to Wisconsin. Where I am in Madison, I've seen several streets that were flooded until the storm drains were able to evacuate the water, lots of branches are getting knocked down from the weight of the water, and downed powerlines have caused a few electrocutions. I was planning to go out to shoot some photos around town last weekend, but the storms kept me inside. Maybe I'll be able to go out this weekend as Sunday is currently predicted to be sunny. I'm just glad it's rain and not snow.
