Rains drench area, make roads a risk
Flooding prompts action, as more wet weather is expected.
Some parts of the Miami Valley received 5 inches of rain Tuesday, which caused major flooding in areas, and there’s a chance for even more every day until the weekend.
The National Weather Service said Butler County, in general, saw heavy rain, with as much as 4.93 inches recorded in Middletown over the last 72 hours.
Meanwhile, Springfield saw almost 4 inches of rain, Dayton got 2.72 inches of rain and Wright-Patterson Air Force Base saw just more than 2 inches of rain in that time span.
The rain prompted emergency officials to act. In West Chester, businesses were evacuated due to high water. In Warren County, emergency management and Turtlecreek Twp. Fire Department officials responded to Shadow Lake Mobile Home Village to monitor water levels. And the water also filled farm fields and yards, such as on Clayton Road in Jackson Twp., and caused heavy flooding on roads including Westbrook Road in Clayton.
The National Weather Service warned that the Great Miami River may flood in parts of Sidney, Miamisburg, Franklin over the next couple of days.
Montgomery County spokeswoman Brianna Wooten said the county’s emergency management was not activated.
Montgomery County Engineer Paul Gruner said his office had to put out about 20 “high water” signs across the county as warnings for motorists. Some roads, which commonly flood during high rain events were also closed. They included Martindale Road and Preble County Line Road.
Gruner said Old Springfield Road tends to get flood during
high rain events and officials are monitoring it. It was still open Tuesday evening, but motorists should be careful when driving through the area, he said. A tree also fell across Mad River Road near Kettering and had power lines around it, Gruner said.
“People have to watch out,” he said. “This is maybe a few more closings than normal, but it happens in spring.”
A flash flood watch was issued Tuesday by National Weather Service in Wilmington for Butler, Clark, Darke, Greene, Miami, Montgomery, Preble and Warren counties.
Rain is expected today with otherwise cloudy skies and a high near 63 degrees. Tonight temperatures will drop to 52 degrees with a chance of showers tapering off after 3 a.m., according to the NWS.
On Thursday, rain chances will rise again, with thunderstorms possible during the day. Highs will be around 68 degrees. Thursday night there will still be a chance of rain, but not as likely a chance for storms. Low temperatures will be around 55 degrees, according to the NWS.
Contact this reporter at 937328-0254 or email Parker. Perry@coxinc.com.