Flash Flood — Athens, Ohio

2025-05-13 to 2025-05-14 · near Carbondale, Athens, Ohio

Event narrative

Several roads were closed due to flooding. These roads closed included State Route 56 between Routes 691 and 278, State Route 356 between Route 56 and Rockcamp Road, State Route 681 between Route 356 and Mansfield Road, and State Route 550 from Route 13 to Route 690.

Wider weather episode

Active weather in the form of flash flooding and strong thunderstorms prevailed over southeast Ohio on May 13th as a result of a nearby frontal boundary. The original front stalled across the Ohio Valley on the 11th, then dissolved over the area while a disturbance slowly approached from the southwest for the next several days. This set the stage for heavy downpours and strong thunderstorms amid the hot and humid airmass planted overhead.

During the afternoon and evening of May 13th, strong thunderstorms downed trees and power lines across portions of the area. Heavy rainfall within these storms also led to widespread half to one and a half in rainfall amounts, with a localized spots of 2 to 3 inch amounts within southeast Ohio. Heavy rain over previously saturated ground prompted flash flooding in Athens, Jackson, Meigs, and Perry Counties. This impacted not only local roadways, but also the first floors of several homes in Perry County along with a nearby church. The threat for severe weather and flash flooding came to an end on May 14th once a break in the weather pattern took shape with the help of building high pressure.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (39.3925, -82.3013)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1252001. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.