Rivers forecast to recede this weekend; Mon Wharf closed
After cresting about 3 feet below flood stage Friday, the Ohio River in Pittsburgh was expected to recede toward normal levels this weekend.
More than an inch of rain that had fallen since Wednesday sent the Ohio, the Monongahela and the Allegheny rivers out of their banks, leading to the closing of the west side of the 10th Street Bypass and the Downtown Bathtub area of the Parkway East on Friday.
The water still could “continue to impact some areas like the Mon Wharf parking area” in Downtown, said Jason Frazier, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
Wharf parking was closed Friday.
River levels are forecast to peak at 22.5 feet, about 3 feet above the level that swamps the wharf parking, according to the weather service. The 10th Street Bypass goes underwater at 22 feet.
“Given where we’re having it peak, there won’t be too many more additional impacts,” Mr. Frazier said.
Water should start to subside Friday night and into the weekend, and it should drop below the wharf parking by Sunday night, Mr. Frazier said. The parking area often needs to be cleaned before it can reopen after flooding.
Forecasts call for dry weather at least until sometime Sunday, but rain since Wednesday has amounted to about 1.4 inches in the Pittsburgh area, according to the weather service.
Temperatures are expected to fall over the weekend, with wind chill values as low as zero Saturday night, the weather service said.