Weekend rain caused flooding in Vinton County, shuttering public buildings and making some roadways challenging to traverse or even impassable.
Dispatch reporters travelling to Vinton County Sept. 21 encountered flooded, low-lying fields and dangerous roadways. Local residents told the reporters that the rain peaked during the pre-dawn hours Sept. 21. State Route 93, north between McArthur and Logan, had high water.
Hearings for Christina Siders and Brandon Henderson Sr. connected to the Vinton County child abuse case were canceled due to heavy overnight rains flooding the Vinton County Courthouse in McArthur.
Weekend rainfall causes flooding in southeast counties
Flooding is widespread in Vinton, Meigs, Athens counties and parts of
Perry County, NWS Charleston meteorologist Nick Webb told the Dispatch.
Heavy rain occurred in two bouts, Webb said, from the night of Sept. 19 into the morning of Sept. 20 and from that night to the morning of Sept. 21. Meigs, Vinton and Southern Athens counties have seen 4 to 5.5 inches of rainfall since Sept. 19, Webb said.
The worst of it is over, but counties are now dealing with continued runoff. There are currently flood warnings for most of southeast Ohio, Webb said.
Many road closures have been caused by creeks at or exceeding bank-full, Webb said.
Future rainfall is being monitored
Light showers are expected through Sept. 22, Webb said. The heaviest rain going forward is projected east of the Ohio River.
A flood warning in in effect until 3:30 p.m. for northeastern Athens, Morgan, eastern Perry and western Washington counties. Flooding of rivers, creeks, streams and other low-lying and flood-prone locations is imminent or occurring, and streams continue to rise due to excess runoff from earlier rainfall.
In Perry County, State Route 93 and Township Road 8 south of Crooksville are closed due to flooding, according to the National Weather Service.
Additionally, a flood warning is in effect until 2:45 p.m. for east central Meigs County.
Dispatch Reporter Nora Igelnik can be reached at nigelnik@dispatch.com.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Flooding hits southeast Ohio counties. See the impact
