Flash Flood — Stark, Ohio

2003-07-27 · near Countywide, Stark, Ohio

Event narrative

Thunderstorms dumped two to four inches of rain on Stark County during the early evening hours with the greatest amounts in the northern and central portions of the county. Rainfall rates peaked at more than two inches per hour and spotters measured nearly 3 inches of rain in Jackson Township between 5 and 7 p.m. For the day, 3.94 inches of rain fell at the Akron-Canton Airport just north of the Stark County line. A maximum of 4.50 inches of rain was measured in Louisville with 4.00 inches at both Massillon and in Lake Township. 3.5 inches of rain was measured at the Canton Water Plant. Some of the worst flooding in the county occurred along the east and west branches of Nimishillen Creek. The creek left it's banks during the evening hours after rising six feet in two hours and crested at an all time high of 14.07 feet at North Industry at 6:35 a.m on the 28th. Communities located along the river including North Canton, Canton and Louisville were devastated by flooding. Over 300 people had to be evacuated from their homes in Canton with dozens of others forced from their homes elsewhere in the county. In Louisville, the worst flooding occurred in areas west of Broadway Avenue and north of Eastland Avenue with over 100 homes affected. Emergency personnel rescued several people from rooftops and trees in the town. A man was rescued from his truck after it was swept off the road by flood waters around 6:30 p.m. A total of 36 people were displaced from their homes and 16 business in the downtown area were devastated by flooding. Damage in Louisville and adjacent Nimishillen Township was nearly $10 million. In Canton, the worst flooding occurred along Mahoning Road NE between 9th and 12th Streets and in the Cook Park area. Most of the 300 people evacuated in the city lived in these neighborhoods. Hundreds of homes and business were affected by flooding in the city. A large factory located on Beldon Avenue sustained over $5 million in flood damages. Over 120 homes were flooded in North Canton along the west branch of Nimishillen Creek. Just south of Canton in Canton and Pike Townships, two dozens mobile homes were destroyed by flooding along the creek and around 30 homes were damaged enough to be declared uninhabitable. Around 25 people had to be evacuated from an apartment complex in the southwestern portion of Lake Township. The Tuscarawas River went into flood at Canal Fulton and Massillon and damaged many homes. Mudslides occurred at several sites near the river in Lawrence Township. Sandy Creek went into flood at Minerva and damaged many homes. Scattered areas of flooding and damage were also reported across the remainder of the county. Over 1,000 homes and 500 vehicles were damaged by flooding the county. At least three major bridges were washed out and damage to roads was over $3 million. Damage to homes and businesses in Canton alone topped $25 million.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5375463. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.