Ohio River flooding slowly begins to recede

CINCINNATI — Forecasters expect flooding to persist through the week in the Cincinnati region, and authorities said Monday that will hinder efforts to assess damage.

The National Weather Service said the Ohio River crested Sunday and was still well above flood stage Monday. Sunday’s peak was more than 8 feet above flood stage and the highest crest since 1997.

Meteorologist Kristen Cassady in Wilmington said a couple of dry days will help, but rain expected later in the week could delay the receding.

“It is slowly going down,” she said, adding that although no heavy rain is expected, even light rain would have an impact on the swollen river.

Monday commutes were complicated by closed roads east of Cincinnati and across the river in northern Kentucky, and some parking lots in downtown Cincinnati were flooded. The Ohio and other rivers caused basement flooding and sewage backups, as well as forcing riverfront businesses to close.

“Floodwaters are a mess,” Hamilton County

“Until the water recedes, we simply will not know.”

There was minor flooding farther east along the Ohio, as

Commissioner Todd Portune said, urging patience as authorities try to determine the extent of the damage. well as from other waterways.

Classes were canceled Monday at Ohio University in southeastern Ohio.

[DRONEBASE/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS] The swollen Ohio River passes beneath the Roebling suspension bridge between Cincinnati, foreground, and Covington, Ky., on Monday. The river crested Sunday at its highest level since 1997, the National Weather Service said.