Flash Flood in Lake County, Ohio

Heavy thunderstorm rains fell on Lake County during the afternoon and evening hours of July 27th. Rainfall rates at times were in excess of three inches per hour. Rainfall totals through 10 p.m. ranged from 4 to 7 inches over much of the county. Runoff from this heavy rain caused widespread flooding and rapid rises in area streams and rivers. The Painesville area was especially hard hit by flooding. Street flooding began shortly after the rain did. By late afternoon roads throughout Lake County were under water. Over 120 children had to be evacuated from a day care center in Mentor around 4 p.m. after flood waters began to creep into the building. Nearly 3.5 inches of rain fell in Painesville by 4:30 p.m, and 6.5 inches fell in Mentor by 9 p.m. The flooding continued to gradually worsen during the evening hours. Water on some streets was as much as four feet deep and there were hundreds of reports of basement flooding. A fire station in Willoughby Hills also sustained damage from flooding. The rain lessened during the late evening hours and this briefly allowed conditions to improve.