Flash Flood — Cuyahoga, Ohio

2004-05-22 · near Countywide, Cuyahoga, Ohio

Event narrative

Thunderstorms dumped heavy rains on Cuyahoga County for third time in less than 24 hours during the early morning hours of May 22nd. Areas already saturated from earlier rains saw another one to two inches of rain fall in just a couple hours. The Rocky River quickly rose during the early morning hours causing significant damage. Two very rapid rises in the river occurred. The first one was around 2:45 a.m. and was described by witnesses as a "wall of water" moving down the basin. The second jump in water levels occurred around daybreak. Six marinas along the river were heavily damaged. Piers and docks at the marinas were swept away as were over 100 boats. Around 35 of the boats were found tangled and smashed along a bridge abutment near the mouth of the river. Big Creek also went into flood during the early morning hours causing Brookpark Road to be closed. Widespread urban and lowland flooding occurred elsewhere in the county. Many roads and streets had to be closed because of flood waters up to three feet deep. A spotter in North Royalton measured 1.36 inches of rain during the early morning storm. Damage to roads and other public property from the flash flood events of May 21st and 22nd and from the subsequent flooding along the Cuyahoga River totaled approximately $3.6 million. 1095 homes in the county sustained flood damage during these events.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5401791. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.