A slow-moving line of thunderstorms dumped several inches of rain across southern Ohio and West Virginia overnight, and by daybreak Sunday the National Weather Service had a wall of flash flood warnings stretching from the Cincinnati suburbs to the West Virginia highlands.
Interstates 77 and 79 are both affected, and forecasters warned that some of the flooding is life-threatening.
Hocking Hills Under a Life-Threatening Flash Flood Warning
The most serious situation is in southern Hocking County and southeastern Pickaway County in central Ohio, where the NWS office in Wilmington extended a flash flood warning until 9 a.m. EDT Sunday after local law enforcement reported flooding on the ground. Between three and four inches of rain have already fallen there, with another half inch to an inch possible.
The warning carries a “considerable” damage threat tag and covers Hocking Hills State Park, Laurelville, South Bloomingville, Tarlton and Union Furnace, along with Salt Creek and Laurel Run. Anyone with camping or hiking plans in the park this weekend should hold off until the water recedes.
Downstream, the Hocking River at Enterprise is forecast to rise above its 12-foot flood stage late Sunday morning and crest near 15.1 feet in the evening before dropping back below flood stage after midnight. At that level water spills onto side roads near Route 33, parts of Rockbridge flood, and Route 93 south of Logan goes underwater.
Interstate 77 and Interstate 79 Flooding in West Virginia
The NWS office in Charleston issued back-to-back flash flood warnings before 5 a.m. covering a broad swath of central and northern West Virginia. One warning, in effect until 8:45 a.m., includes Interstate 79 between mile markers 34 and 80 and several stretches of Route 19 near Sutton, Gassaway, Birch River and Holly River State Park.
A second set of warnings flags Interstate 77 near mile marker 150 and between markers 152 and 171, affecting Parkersburg, Spencer, Elizabeth, Grantsville and Glenville. Drivers heading toward the Ohio River crossings should expect standing water on ramps and low-lying sections.
Southwest Ohio and the Cincinnati Area
Closer to Cincinnati, a flood warning runs until 9:45 a.m. for northern Clermont, southwestern Clinton, northeastern Hamilton and southern Warren counties, where radar estimated a remarkable 2.5 to 5 inches of rain. Mason, Lebanon, Monroe, Loveland, Morrow and the area around Kings Island are all included.
Additional flood warnings and advisories cover Athens, Meigs, Vinton, Jackson, Ross, Pike, Highland and Brown counties, with several running into Sunday afternoon as swollen creeks keep rising from earlier runoff.
What Travelers Should Do
The advice from forecasters is blunt and unchanged: “Turn around, don’t drown when encountering flooded roads.” Most flood deaths happen in vehicles, and water crossing a rural road at night can be far deeper and faster than it looks.
If you are driving through southern Ohio or West Virginia on Sunday, check current conditions before setting out, build in extra time, and be ready to reroute around closed interstate ramps. Flooding can be reported to the National Weather Service toll free at 800-401-9535 once it is safe to do so.
