Flood — Perry, Ohio

2004-09-08 · Perry, Ohio

Wider weather episode

The low pressure remains of Hurricane Frances caused about a 30 hour rain event, from the afternoon of the 7th, into the evening hours of the 8th. A stalled frontal boundary helped trigger heavier convection on the northern, or leading edge, of the rain shield during the late afternoon and evening of the 7th. This initial convection caused the heavier storm totals to be over Morgan and Perry Counties, compared to points further south. Storm totals of 4 to 7 inches were common, with isolated amounts both above and below those totals. Some specific preliminary totals include New Lexington with 7.5 inches, McConnelsville 6.6 inches, McArthur 6.3 inches, Salem Center 5.7 inches, Athens 5.5 inches, Gallipolis 5.1 inches, Carpenter 5.0 inches, South Point 4.7 inches, Newport and Nelsonville 4.6 inches, and finally Marietta 3.8 inches. The Scalia Lab on the Ohio University campus in Athens reported a storm total of 5.3 inches. Other rain totals from spotters included 5.9 inches at Pageville of Meigs County, 5.7 inches from Darwin of Meigs County and Guysville of Athens County. Tuppers Plain of Meigs County measured 5.4 inches. A few automated gauges totaled 5.1 inches at Coolville, 4.9 inches at Kitts Hill, and 4.8 inches at Amesville. Since the ground was dry prior to this event, most flooding was to roads and low lying areas. In Athens County, Sunday Creek surrounded buildings in Trimble and blocked streets. Some residents evacuated their homes as a precaution. Flooding remained minor. The gauge at Glouster crested at 16.4 feet on the 9th, well below the 19 foot crest observed back in May, 2004.However, flooding was more severe in Perry, Morgan, and Washington Counties, affecting some homes. In Perry County, around 50 homes had major damage, with 3 homes destroyed. Duck Creek flooded in Washington County, including around Elba and Lower Salem. In Washington County, one house was destroyed, while 7 homes had major damage. In Morgan County, 8 homes had major damage. The Muskingum River crested at 11.7 feet early on the 9th at McConnelsville in Morgan County. Flood stage is 11 feet. The Shade river near Chester of Meigs County rose from 4.7 feet around 0500E on the 8th, to 21.5 feet around 1830E on the 9th. Bankfull is around 17 feet.This event set the stage for a more widespread flood across southeast Ohio, to follow later in the month.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5423710. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.