PROJECT ALERT NOTICE (OH) Minor to moderate flooding in Indiana and Kentucky

Date: Fri, 18 Feb 2022 09:27:34 EST

Summary: Minor to moderate flooding is affecting parts of Indiana and Ohio.

A slow moving front that dropped 1 to 3 inches of rain over Indiana and Ohio coupled with a fairly rapid snowmelt (nearly a foot of snow in northeast Ohio melted) has pushed many rivers to minor and moderate flood stage (NWS terminology). Then, last evening, cold air rushed in and changed the rain to freezing rain especially over the northern half of Ohio. Indiana received mostly 1-2 inches of snow.

The hardest hit areas were the White River basin and St. Joseph River basin in Indiana and the Mahoning and Tuscarawas River basins in Ohio, however the stages these rivers will reach are nowhere near the peak of record. It is very likely we will make the highest measurement ever at Eagle Creek near Phalanx Station (Mahoning River basin).

There are no streamgages that have been destroyed from this event, however there are 22 sites that are not transmitting in northern Ohio due to heavy ice accretion on antennas. Although it is still snowing in Ohio right now, we do expect sun to break out in the afternoon to hopefully melt the ice off our antennas.

USGS Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana will have 13 crews (24 total personnel) in total out today to make high flow measurements. In Indiana, once crew (2 people) will be measuring high flows in the St. Joseph River basin near Fort Wayne Indiana, and this crew will spend the night and work Saturday in the same area. Three other crews (6 people) will concentrate on the White River basin which flows northeast, then downtown then southwest of Indianapolis. A crew from Louisville Kentucky (2 people) will measure high water in the Big Blue River basin in southern Indiana. For Ohio, 2 crews (4 people) from the New Philadelphia Field Office will concentrate on the Mahoning and Tuscarawas River basin in northeast Ohio, while a third crew from New Philadelphia will make high flow measurements at new sites in southeast Ohio. The Columbus Field Office will have 5 crews out (8 people) to measure high water at newer sites around the Columbus Ohio area, the Blanchard River basin around Findlay, Ohio and the Little Auglaize River basin in northwest Ohio. All crews were advised to drive very carefully as roads are either snow covered or may have some icy spots, however the main roads seem to be in much better shape than the back roads.

The Louisville, Huntington and Buffalo Corps of Engineers were contacted earlier this morning. Pertinent flood measurements will be posted to NWSChat.