PARKERSBURG — Streams and rivers in the Central Ohio Valley were higher than normal Monday, prompting the National Weather Service to issue a flood warning.
A flood warning was in effect until 7 p.m. Monday for Washington, Morgan, Athens and Meigs counties in Ohio and Pleasants County in West Virginia. At 4:45 a.m., Monday gauge reports indicated flooding along larger rivers and streams including the Little Muskingum River, Shedd River and Duck Creek, according to the flood warning.
The warning stated that flooding of rivers, creeks, creeks and other low-lying, flood-prone areas was imminent or occurring, and that some streams were continuing to rise due to excess runoff from previous rainfall, while others had already peaked and begun to fall. .
Although flooding has occurred in the area, the Ohio State Highway Patrol had dealt with only one incident in Washington County related to high water as of Monday afternoon, according to OHPD Lt. Chris Cesar.
“We had one vehicle stuck in high water on State Route 26.” Cesar said.
Worthington Creek at Corning Boat Ramp begins to rise at the mouth with Little Kanawha. The Ohio River, which has been flooded by tributaries, is expected to crest at 1 a.m. today, according to a National Weather Service forecast. (Photo by Jess Mancini)
There was high water on the way from the Little Muskingum River. On Sunday afternoon, a car got stuck in high water. He added that the driver was not injured.
At around noon Monday, the water had receded, and the OHP was working to get the car off the road, according to Cesar.
“As always, we urge people to pay attention to the roads and not drive in high water.” Cesar said.
West Virginians fared well despite the high water problem in the area.
The Wood County 911 supervisor said there had been no crashes or incidents due to high water as of Monday afternoon.
While Point Park and the walking trail were closed to the public Monday, debris and Canada geese came ashore at the high waters of the Ohio River at Point Park. (Photo by Jess Mancini)
“We have had no problems on any reporting methods.” The supervisor said.
Vienna witnessed a rise in water levels, but it did not affect residents, according to Vienna Mayor Randy Raab.
Duck Creek was high but the water wasn't coming out of its banks, Rapp said, and the city has a dry levee they use to control Pond Run to help with flooding. Raab did say there were some puddles of water on some roads, but there was nothing in Vienna that put people at risk.
The West Virginia Department of Transportation maintains a website with real-time traffic information, wv511.org. The website did not show any road closures due to high water in Wood, Mason, Jackson, Pleasants or surrounding counties as of Monday afternoon.
Ohioans have had to deal with some issues due to high water levels in the area.
A car makes its way over the Ohio 821 Bridge in Lower Salem and over the Duck Creek Expressway Monday morning. Heavy rains caused the river to reach its banks in some locations. (Photo by Art Smith)
The Ohio Department of Transportation's Ohgo app provides current traffic information. It showed that as of 12:51 p.m. Monday, State Route 26 was closed in both directions from Hills Bridge Road to Cow Run Road at mile marker 5.5 due to flooding.
Washington County Sheriff Larry R. Minkes Sr. said a fair number of roads in the county were closed due to high water levels. Minkes said road floods happen every spring in Washington County and residents are used to it.
He said the county has not faced any difficulties due to the weather so far.
According to the Washington County Sheriff's website, the roads closed in Washington County on Monday are: County Road 9 at Hills Bridge Road; Hills Bridge Road at Handchumaker Road; State Route 26 at mile marker 28; Gate Hill on County Road 9; Buells Run Road on State Route 821; Whipple Run Road at Cole Road; Main street in Macksburg. State Route 821 at mile marker 20; Rainbow Roads on Muskingum Road and State Route 26 from mile marker 6 to mile marker 7.
ODOT District 10 Public Information Officer Ashley Rittenhouse also confirmed that several roads in Ohio were closed. District 10 serves Washington, Morgan, Athens, Meigs, Noble, Monroe, Gallia and Vincent counties.
A car makes its way toward Marietta on Ohio 821 and passes a flooded section of Divola Multi-use Road Monday morning. (Photo by Art Smith)
“So we were definitely facing high water levels on several roads.” She said.
State Route 26 in Washington was closed and remained that way as of Monday afternoon, Rethenhouse said.
Some closed roads are starting to open, but Rittenhouse believes they may only be open for a short time due to the weather forecast calling for more rain.
According to Rittenhouse, there was a landslide on State Route 536 in Monroe County, but that was the only similar incident to occur in District 10 on Monday afternoon.
That landslide forced ODOT to close one lane and put up temporary traffic signals, Rittenhouse said.
Water from the backed up Whipple Run floods the town of Route 391 a short distance from where it meets Duck Creek. (Photo by Art Smith)
Ohioans can see which roads are closed using ODOT's real-time traffic app, Ohgo, according to Rittenhouse.
Rittenhouse stressed that when the road is closed, people should never drive around road closure barriers because you never know how deep the water will be. She said it was better to find a different path.
Belpre residents did not face rising water levels in their city on Monday. A dispatcher said there had been no weather calls in the past 24 hours and no roads were closed in the city.
Belpre Mayor Suzan Abdullah also confirmed that roads in Belpre were not closed Monday afternoon due to rising water levels.
Abdullah said there is some standing water in the city that is draining slowly because the ground is saturated, but overall city crews have done well with the weather.
Marietta Police Capt. Aaron Nediv said there had been no high waters yet in Marietta and no incidents related to high waters as of Monday afternoon. He said if the river reaches 32 feet, there might be an underwater street corner in Marietta or Hunter Street might get some water, based on his past experience.
There were river levels that were above or near flood stage in Washington and Wood counties on Monday.
The National Weather Service reports water levels from gauges in area rivers on its website.
According to the NWS website, the gauge in the Ohio River at the Marietta Pump House showed the river was at 31.65 feet at 2 p.m. Monday. The NWS expects the Ohio River to reach 32 feet at this location by 1 a.m. Tuesday. Flood stage 35 feet.
The gauge in the Ohio River at Willow Island Lock showed the river was at 32.38 feet at 2 p.m. Monday. The NWS expects the Ohio River to reach 32.8 feet at this location by 1 a.m. Tuesday. The flood level reached 35 feet, according to the NWS website.
According to the NWS website, the gauge on the Ohio River in Parkersburg showed the river at 31.91 feet at 2 p.m. Monday. The NWS expects the Ohio River to reach 32.6 feet at this location by 1 a.m. Tuesday. Flood stage 35 feet.
The gauge on the Muskingum River in Beverly showed the river was at 27.67 feet at 1:45 p.m. Monday. It reached 30.12 feet at 7pm on Sunday. The NWS predicted the Muskingum River level would drop to 26.9 feet by 1 a.m. Tuesday. The flood level reached 29 feet, according to the NWS website.
The gauge on the Little Muskingum River in Bloomfield showed the river was at 20.16 feet at midnight Monday. It dropped to 11.63 feet at the location at 1:30 PM Monday. Flood stage 16 feet.
This isn't the last rain in the Mid-Ohio Valley.
According to the NWS website, the forecast for Monday was that any remaining showers would gradually transition to very light drizzle or flurries during the late afternoon.
The NWS forecast dry weather overnight, with low clouds likely to persist into Tuesday morning before finally dissipating. The National Weather Service said a fast-moving system will cross the area Tuesday night into Wednesday, with another round of light mountain snow and rain mostly over the lowlands.
The weather service said a brief high pressure system will pass through the region on Thursday before another disturbance is possible Friday into Saturday and another round of low-level rain and mountain snow is on the horizon.
Michelle Dillon can be reached at mdillon@newsandsentinel.com
Debris is gathering Monday morning at Point Park in Parkersburg where the National Weather Service expects the Ohio River to crest at 32.6 feet around 1 a.m. today. (Photo by Jess Mancini)
Debris is gathering Monday morning at Point Park in Parkersburg where the National Weather Service expects the Ohio River to crest at 32.6 feet around 1 a.m. today. (Photo by Jess Mancini)
Monday morning high water from the Ohio River covered the trail and the area around the gazebo at Point Park. The river is expected to crest around 1 a.m. today, according to the National Weather Service. (Photo by Jess Mancini)
Geese swim in a flooded field next to the swollen Duck Creek near Lower Salem. The rising water levels in the river submerged agricultural fields throughout the valley. (Photo by Art Smith)
