Flash Flood — Stark, Ohio

2011-07-19 · near Aultman, Stark, Ohio

Event narrative

The Nimishillen Creek, a tributary for the Tuscarawas River, reached major flood stage at the gage site in North Industry. For the Nimishillen Creek, the majority of the rainfall fell over the western branch. The west branch sub-watershed begins in Lake Township in northern Stark and near the Akron-Canton Regional Airport in the City of Green in Summit County. Almost five inches of rain fell over the headwaters of the west branch that night, all of which drains into North Canton. A major tributary to the west branch is Zimber Ditch which begins around the Akron-Canton Airport and also flows directly south paralleling I-77 into Jackson Township. Zimber Ditch has experienced more frequent flood problems over the last decade due to continued urban and suburban growth in the basin. Flooding along the Zimber Creek this event was responsible for a significant amount of the flood damage resulting in North Canton and downstream communities. The NWS forecast point for the Nimishillen Creek is located south of Canton in North Industry. By the time this site crested, the flooding was beginning to recede in Canton. By 9:00 AM the reported stage was of 11.14 FT and a flow over 6000 cfs, or major flood category. This was the fifth highest flow for this gage site since records began in 1921. Overal several hundreds of homes and businesses were flooded necessitating evacuations and moving residents into shelters which were opened earlier in response to the excessive heat the day before. A number of water rescues were conducted, but no reports of injuries or fatalities.

Wider weather episode

During the early morning hours of July 19th a dissipating storm complex over Michigan reintensified as it moved over Lake Erie. These strong storms produced a narrow swath of 3 to 6 inches of rain fell over north central Ohio. The rainfall rates of around two inches per hour produced significant flash flooding. The most severely effected areas were Cuyahoga, Summit, Medina, and Stark Counties. The flooding was caused by runoff from torrential rainfall that exceeded the capacity of the small streams and storm water systems of several communities. Water depth in the flooded areas was 1 to 3 feet deep, enough to fill basements and inundate the first floor of hundreds of homes and businesses. Despite being located on a hill, the Akron-Canton airport flooded due to the intensity of the rainfall.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (40.9146, -81.5227)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 332133. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.