Water rescue of trapped motorist in Ontario – Photo via Ontario Police 
Photo via the Kickapoo Valley Reserve State Highway 131 Bridge 7 – Photo via the Kickapoo Valley Reserve State Highway 131 Bridge 7 – Photo via the Kickapoo Valley Reserve County P and Bridge 14 looking west – Photo via the Kickapoo Valley Reserve Winchell Valley Road Bridge 8 – Photo via the Kickapoo Valley Reserve Photo via the Kickapoo Valley Reserve Photo via the Kickapoo Valley Reserve 
Lower Chaseburg – contributed photo
April 4, 2026
The National Weather Service issued a flood warning for Ontario, Viola and Readstown. Forecasts showed Ontario was expected to crest in the major flood stage today around 2 p.m. and then recede quickly but other communities down river would see flooding in the coming days.
The Vernon County Sheriff’s Office and the Ontario report that they performed a water rescue after a motorist attempted to drive through road over the road and became trapped.
Here is the latest information from the National Weather Service on the water levels in the Kickapoo River valley. These models do take into account predicted precipitation, but can change if rainfall amounts vary from predicted.
Reports from around the county throughout the day show many roads and parts of some communities under water. Ontario roads and bridges were covered in water and lower Chaseburg and much of Highway 162 were impassible.
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