Three children died Friday after the boat they were on capsized during a sudden and severe storm on Geneva Lake, a popular tourist destination in southeastern Wisconsin. The boat was carrying six adults and four children when it was overwhelmed by strong winds and waves, according to the Lake Geneva Police Department. All four children on board were wearing life jackets at the time.
Officials said the storm developed rapidly, quickly producing hazardous boating conditions that gave those on board little time to reach safety before the boat capsized and sank.
A frantic rescue effort
Emergency responders were able to pull the six adults and one child from the water relatively quickly, but three children remained missing in the immediate aftermath. Crews launched an intensive search and ultimately located and recovered all three from the lake. Lifesaving measures were performed both at the scene and en route to the hospital, but all three children were later pronounced dead.
Walworth County Undersheriff Tom Hausner said the storm struck around 12:10 p.m., with 911 calls beginning to come in almost immediately as the severity of the situation became clear. Authorities have not released the identities or ages of the children who died, though one source told a Chicago television station that the victims are believed to be younger than 13.
A storm that hit the region hard
The boating accident was part of a broader, fast moving line of severe weather that swept through northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin Friday morning and early afternoon, bringing wind gusts as strong as 60 mph. The same storm system caused widespread damage across Walworth County, toppling trees, downing power lines and damaging buildings.
Lake Geneva’s mayor declared a local emergency following the storm, and officials reported at least one additional injury after a person was struck by a falling tree. Power outages affected multiple areas of the city, and county authorities said downed trees and power lines temporarily delayed emergency crews responding to reports of people trapped in buildings elsewhere in the community.
Across the wider region, nearly 514,000 homes and businesses in Michigan, Illinois and Wisconsin lost power Friday night as the storm system moved through.
Investigation underway
The deaths remain under investigation by local law enforcement and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Wisconsin Authorities have not yet released additional details about the circumstances that led to the capsizing beyond the sudden onset of severe weather.
Geneva Lake, located roughly 43 miles southwest of Milwaukee, is a popular seasonal destination that draws significant tourism from the Chicago area and beyond, particularly during summer holiday weekends. Officials noted that the local population nearly doubles during those periods, adding to the number of people on and around the water when the storm hit.
A broader pattern of severe weather
The storm was part of a larger weather system moving along the edge of a heat dome that has driven extreme temperatures across much of the eastern and central United States this week. Forecasters had warned in advance of the potential for severe thunderstorms across the eastern half of the country Friday, and the same system prompted several Midwest cities to cancel Independence Day festivals and push back scheduled fireworks displays. The National Weather Service also issued a severe thunderstorm watch for the Lake Geneva area in Wisconsin, warning of continued rain and a chance of additional storms through the holiday weekend.