EAS-activated Flash Flood Warnings are in effect across western Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio this afternoon, as thunderstorms drop 2 to 3 inches of rain per hour on already-saturated ground — while a massive multi-state Flood Watch covers portions of Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky and Maryland through the weekend.
Flash Flood Warnings Active Right Now: New Castle, Sharon and St. Clairsville
The National Weather Service in Pittsburgh issued three EAS-activated Flash Flood Warnings Friday afternoon. One covers Mercer, Lawrence, southwestern Venango and northern Butler counties — including New Castle, Hermitage, Sharon, Grove City, Sharpsville, Greenville and Farrell — until 4:15 PM EDT with 2 to 3 inches of rainfall per hour ongoing. A second covers central Armstrong, eastern Butler and southern Clarion counties (Rimersburg, New Bethlehem, East Brady).
In eastern Ohio, a Flash Flood Warning covers central Belmont and northeastern Guernsey counties — St. Clairsville, Barnesville, Bethesda, Quaker City and Barkcamp State Park — with the same 2-to-3-inch-per-hour rate. “Turn around, don’t drown when encountering flooded roads,” the Pittsburgh NWS office warned. “Most flood deaths occur in vehicles.”
Flood Watch: Pittsburgh, Akron, Charleston and Morgantown
A broad Flood Watch covers a five-state region through this weekend. The Pittsburgh office’s watch covers Allegheny (Pittsburgh), Westmoreland, Washington, Fayette, Armstrong, Butler, Beaver, Indiana and Clarion counties in Pennsylvania, plus portions of Ohio and West Virginia through this evening.
The Cleveland NWS office issued a Flood Watch through tonight for Summit (Akron), Portage, Trumbull, Mahoning (Youngstown), Stark (Canton), Wayne, Ashland, Knox, Morrow and Richland counties — where slow-moving or training storms could produce 2 to 3 inches per hour.
The Charleston WV office has a Flood Watch through Sunday morning across most of West Virginia, southeast Ohio, northeast Kentucky and southwest Virginia — covering Charleston, Huntington, Morgantown, Clarksburg, Parkersburg, Wheeling, Beckley and Logan. Flooding potential is greatest today and Saturday when storms will be numerous.
Saturated Ground Compounds the Risk
Multiple bulletins flag that recent rainfall has left soils saturated — meaning even moderate rain rates will trigger flooding faster than normal. In West Virginia, the Charleston office specifically flagged “locations that have compromised soils” as facing elevated risk. Do not drive through flooded roads. Follow updates at weather.gov/pbz (Pittsburgh), weather.gov/cle (Cleveland) and weather.gov/rlx (Charleston, WV).
