A slow-moving storm system that battered Wisconsin over the weekend prompted flood advisories in several states across the central U.S.

Record rainfall fell across much of the metro Milwaukee area late Aug. 9 and early Aug. 10, leading to major flash flooding across the region.

Cries for help came from the pitch-black woods, from rooftops and from attics that shifted unsteadily as the water rose. Firefighters and police raced to help, having little guidance on where or how.

Massive amounts of rainwater left swaths of Milwaukee County flooded out with parks underwater, and vehicles left abandoned ...