Flash Flood — Medina, Ohio

2003-07-21 to 2003-07-22 · near Countywide, Medina, Ohio

Event narrative

Thunderstorms dumped two to four inches of rain on Medina County on the 21st. Flash flooding occurred in portions of the county during the evening hours. 3.91 inches of rain fell in Chippewa Lake during with around 3.5 inches in the City of Medina. Over two inches of rain was measured between 6 and 7 p.m. in Medina. The flooding was most severe in Medina, Montville and Granger Townships. In Montville Township, the west branch of the Rocky River left it's bank and flooded several homes along River Styx Road. The river rose nine feet above normal causing a basement wall in the one of the houses to collapse. Several people were evacuated from homes nearby. At 9:05 p.m. a small child was washed into a flooded ditch in Granger Township. Rescue workers arrived quickly and were able to save the child. Extensive lowland and street flooding occurred in Medina with several roads damaged by the flood waters. Many homes were damaged by flooding in the city with areas along Smith Road affected the most. A total of 37 homes and 110 apartment units sustained major flood damage in the county. An additional 73 homes and two apartments sustained minor damage. Many businesses were also affected. Damage to public property, roads and recreational areas topped $1 million. At least seven motorists were rescued from stranded cars during the storm.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5376646. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.