Flash Flood — Cuyahoga, Ohio

2006-06-22 · near East Portion, Cuyahoga, Ohio

Event narrative

Thunderstorms dumped torrential rainfall on much of Cuyahoga County during the late afternoon and early evening hours of June 22nd. With the ground already saturated from heavy rains the previous 24 hours, flash flooding quickly developed. The eastern and southern portions of the county were especially hard hit with significant damage reported in Brecksville, Broadview Heights, Parma, North Royalton and Solon. Spotters in Solon measured 5.0 inches of rain between 3:30 and 7:30 pm. A spotter in Parma reported a 24 rainfall total of 6 inches. Other storm totals included: 5.20 inches in Solon; 4.55 inches in Oakwood; 4.39 inches in Brecksville; 3.43 inches in North Royalton and 3.02 inches in Broadview Heights. Two to three feet of water was reported on many streets effectively turning them into rivers. Dozens of motorists had to be rescued from their vehicles. In Indepedence, 21 passengers had to be rescued from a scenic railway train after the railroad's tracks became flooded. In Brecksville, Chippewa Creek turned into a raging torrent and caused extensive damage in the city. A lumberyard near the creek saw much of it's inventory washed away and around 450 homes in thre area were damaged with 50 sustaining major damage . Also in Brecksville, a car was washed off of a road and deposited on it's side several hundred yards away. As much as two to three feet of water was reported on the ground floors of homes in Independence. In Parma, a sink hole 10 feet wide and 13 feet deep developed on State Road (State Route 94). The City of Parma spent over $1 million for emergency response, street repairs, materials and personnel. Around 200 homes, most of them east of State Road were damaged in the city. Several hundred homes and six school buildings were damaged by flooding in North Royalton. The damage was even more widespread in Broadview Heights and Solon. In Broadview Heights, around 1800 homes were affected by flooding with over 200 sustaining major damage. Most of this damage was north of State Route 82. Another 2000 homes were damaged in Solon. Numerous roads and culverts in these areas were washed out. At the peak of the flooding, nearly two dozen streets were impassable in Solon alone. In Walton Hills, flood waters were reported flowing over guard rails lining streets. Flooding in Cuyahoga County during this event was unprecedented. Nearly 4,000 homes, 475 businesses and 21 public buildings in the county were damaged by flooding. Damage to public infrastructure alone was in the millions. See the accompanying flood write up for information on the record flooding that occurred along the Cuyahoga River.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5518428. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.