Flood — Meigs, Ohio

2004-09-17 · Meigs, Ohio

Wider weather episode

Light rain spread north into southeast Ohio during the afternoon and evening hours of the 16th. The heavier rain from the remnants of Hurricane Ivan developed over Lawrence County before dawn on Friday the 17th, reaching the Athens and Marietta vicinity by 0900E on the 17th. By 1700E the heavy rain was pulling east and northeast, out of southeast Ohio. A rain event of 24 to 30 hours dumped 4 to 6.5 inches of rain. Some specific preliminary totals included Beverly 6.4 inches, McArthur 6 inches, McConnelsville 5.5 inches, Athens and Waterloo 5.1 inches, Marietta and Newport 4.8 inches, Gallipolis 4.3 inches, and Nelsonville 4 inches. Rains were not as heavy over central and northern portions of Perry County. New Lexington measured 2.4 inches. Spotters reported 6.2 inches from Guysville, 6.1 inches at Tuppers Plains, and 5.5 inches in Pageville.Since the ground was still recovering from the effects of Hurricane Frances 8 days earlier, streams crested higher in many instances. The small stream flooding developed during the late morning and early afternoon period of the 17th. Serious small stream flooding occurred on such streams as Sunday Creek, Duck Creek, Racoon Creek, Little Racoon Creek, and Symmes Creek. On the 2 year old gauge at Bolins Mills on Racoon Creek, the crest was 17 feet, its highest. At Millfield on Sunday Creek, a crest of 24.5 feet established a new record. However, the upper reaches of Sunday Creek in Perry and northern Athens County were higher in May of 2004, than this event. For example, the gauge at Glouster crested at 17.6 feet compared to 19 feet in May. Symmes Creek near Aid crested at 23.3 feet.The smaller rivers, such as the Little Muskingum and Shade, saw serious flooding. The Little Muskingum River at Bloomfield crested at 31.1 feet, surpassing the 30.7 feet crest in 1998. The Rinard covered bridge, originally built in 1874, was shoved into the river. During a restoration project in the early 1990s, gaps between the wooden boards were taken out. Local residents think, without those gaps, the water pressure was greater, knocking the bridge off its supports. In this vicinity, general stores in Bloomfield and Wingett Run were flooded with 5 feet of water. The Shade River crested at 30 feet near Chester. The 1997 crest was at 31.4 feet.The Hocking River at Athens crested slightly over its 20 foot flood stage at 20.8 feet. The crest occurred before dawn on the 18th at Athens.The axis of heaviest rain ran up the main stem of the Ohio River toward Wheeling and Pittsburgh. Storm totals of 6 to 8 inches were seen there. This rain was almost direct local runoff into the upper Ohio River. As a result, a strong rise of 1 to 2 feet per hour was observed on the Ohio River during the Friday evening, the 17th. For example, between 1600E and 2100E, the Ohio River rose 9 feet at Willow Island Lock and Dam, and around 10 feet on the Marietta 2SW gauge. The 24 hour rise at Marietta was 22 feet in 24 hours, the greatest 24 hour rise there on record. On the 18th and 19th, as most small streams were receding, moderate to major flooding occurred on the Ohio River from New Matamoras and Willow Island on down through Marietta, Belpre, Racine and Pomeroy. It was the highest stage since March 1964. The crest then dampened to minor flooding below the mouth of the Kanawha River. Some specific crests included Willow Island 44.8 feet, Marietta 2SW 42.4 feet, Belleville 45.8 feet, Racine 50.2 feet, Pomeroy 51.2 feet, and R C Bryd Lock and Dam 51 feet. The crest was 2 to 4 feet deep inside hundreds of Marietta businesses, plus on the order of 40 businesses in Meigs County including the town of Pomeroy. In Washington County, the Red Cross surveyed 159 homes with major damage, with 60 homes destroyed. Two trailer parks were hit hard by flooding around Marietta. On the order of 400 to 500 businesses in the county were affected. State damage assessments had 56 homes with major damage in Athens County. In Meigs County, 16 homes had major damage and 1 house was destroyed. In Gallia County, 6 homes had major damage with 1 home destroyed. In Lawrence County, 8 homes had major damage and 3 were destroyed. In Vinton County, 5 homes had major damage and 2 homes were destroyed. The FEMA disaster 1556 included this flood event.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5423792. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.