Flash Flood — Stark, Ohio

2004-09-08 to 2004-09-09 · near Southeast Portion, Stark, Ohio

Event narrative

For the second time in less than two weeks, heavy rains caused significant flooding in the southeastern corner of Stark County. Rain associated with the remnants of Tropical Storm Frances began early on September 8th and increased in intensity during the evening hours. The rain continued into the early morning hours of the 9th and finally ended an hour or two before daybreak. Storm total rainfall amounts included: 2.08 inches at North Lawrence, 2.32 inches at Genoa and 3.08 inches at Alliance. Similar to the August 28th flash flood event, heavy rains over Columbia County contributed to the severity of the flooding. Up to 9 inches of rain was reported over the headwaters of Sandy Creek in Columbia County. The creek rapidly rose during the late evening hours of the 8th and early morning of the 9th. Over 60 homes and business were heavily damaged in Minerva after the creek left it's banks. A couple dozen people had to be rescued or evacuated from their homes. The water treatment plant in Minerva sustained over $100,000 in damages. Many roads in the southeast corner of the county were washed out or had to be closed because of flooding. Dozens of additional homes sustained damage from basement or nuisance flooding.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5423411. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.