One wet weekend
Region’s rainfall already exceeds September and yearly averages, and more is on the way
Think 2018 has been rainy? The Pittsburgh region already has passed September’s average total rainfall with just 10 days of the month gone, and we’ve topped the yearly average with more than three months left.
And more rain could be on the way later this week as Hurricane Florence moves toward the Carolinas. It is expected to move inland Thursday, and weather projections show the system is headed our way.
Officially, the National Weather Service said Monday that nearly three straight days of rain pushed the monthly total at the official monitor in Moon to 5.5 inches for September, well above the average of just over 3 inches.
But that’s just the “official” monitor. The recording station at Allegheny County Airport in West Mifflin, for example, measured 7.51 inches for the three days.
For the year, the region has recorded 40 inches of rain, well past the total annual average of 38.19 inches.
The 72 hours of rain caused flooding, power outages and landslides throughout the county, prompting Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald to declare a disaster emergency Monday.
“Our region has seen more than 6 inches of rain since Saturday, and more is expected,” Mr. Fitzgerald said in a statement. “… I’ve issued this emergency declaration to ensure that Emergency Services has every tool that it may need available to it for response to assist our municipalities.
“While flood warnings have expired, and rain showers are leaving the area, our department will begin its assessment of damages, and will do everything it can to assist in any recovery.”
Three major roads remained closed: the “bathtub” area of the Parkway Central inbound beside the Monongahela Wharf; the 10th Street Bypass; and the ramp on Interstate 279 from the Fort Duquesne Bridge to the Parkway East. Most other roads in Allegheny County that were closed Monday by flooding or landslides have reopened, said Cheryl Moon-Sirianni, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation’s district executive for Allegheny, Beaver and Lawrence counties.
“We haven’t had any major, long-term damage that will keep a road or bridge closed for an extended time, but that is so far,” Ms. Moon-Sirianni said. “Until all the water recedes and we get a chance to go in there and inspect, we can’t have a permanent answer there.”
Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto said the city hadn’t had any major problems but crews were monitoring flood-prone areas. Damage from mudslides and other weather-related problems have taken their toll on the city’s budget this year, he said.
“It’s been very expensive. We’re spending millions of dollars on not just the landslides, but all of the associated problems,” the mayor said. “Whenever there is this amount of water, it has an effect on the ground below us, which has an effect on antiquated pipes — and we’ve seen breaks on a daily basis. Much more than we have in the past.”
Ms. Moon-Sirianni said PennDOT was in the early stages of looking at how to mitigate the problem in two chronic flooding areas: the bathtub on the Parkway Central and Streets Run Road in Pittsburgh’s Hays neighborhood, which was closed on Monday.
The bathtub flooded over the weekend for the third time since 2011 and is expected to be closed until at least Wednesday. Although flooding there is not a regular occurrence, it forces traffic into the Golden Triangle at Grant Street and causes such serious traffic jams that PennDOT is looking at what else can be done to keep traffic on the highway.
Because of a wall installed more than 10 years ago, the bathtub floods when the Monongahela River reaches 24 feet, 6 feet higher than at the wharf. Engineers are studying whether an even higher wall would help or cause flooding elsewhere, Ms. Moon-Sirianni said.
With the possibility of more heavy rain this weekend, Ms. Moon-Sirianni said crews will be cleaning stormwater inlets the rest of the week. They will begin in flood-prone areas and move throughout the region, she said.
“We try to make sure all of the inlets are cleaned out,” she said. “There’s not a lot you can do to keep a creek or river from overflowing.”
The level of the Ohio River at Pittsburgh, which floods at 25 feet, was 26.7 feet at 5 p.m. Monday.
The Mon Wharf parking lot remains closed due to flooding.
Mr. Moon-Sirianni encouraged residents not to litter, which clogs catch basins and sewer grates; avoid driving through standing water; and pay attention to signs that say a road is closed for flooding.