As central Ohio deals with power outages and storm damage from an Aug. 11 derecho, more rain is on the way, bringing risks of additional flooding.
Central Ohio remains under a flood watch until 11 a.m. Aug. 14, along with southwest Ohio and parts of Indiana and Kentucky. The weather service's Wilmington forecast office said in a post on X flash flooding risk is highest in southwest Ohio, southeast Indiana and northern Kentucky.
Additional storms will move into the region later in the day. The risk for heavy rain, including storms repeatedly moving over the same locations, will increase tonight and continue into Friday. This may result in renewed flash flooding and cause additional river flooding. pic.twitter.com/qN6VWmrPSr
— NWS Wilmington OH (@NWSILN) August 13, 2026
The National Weather
Service said more storms will move into the area this afternoon. Areas that have seen repeated rain and storms are at risk of flash flooding.
Excessive runoff could flood rivers, creeks, streams and other low-lying or flood-prone locations, the weather service said. Some creeks and streams are already running high, and could flood with additional heavy rain.
The risk from heavy rain will be greatest overnight into early in the morning Aug. 14, the weather service said.
People should keep an eye on the weather and "be prepared for immediate action" in the case of heavy rains, flooding or a flash flood warning, the weather service said. They should also avoid low-lying areas and use caution when approaching highway dips and underpasses.
High water issues will remain overnight tonight into Thursday, especially for southeast IN where extreme flooding occurred. A brief reprieve in the heavy rain is expected tonight, but additional rounds of storms will be possible late afternoon Thursday into the overnight hours. pic.twitter.com/40yrTQRDvm
— NWS Wilmington OH (@NWSILN) August 12, 2026
Columbus has a 40% chance of rain on the night of Aug. 13, and a 50% chance of rain Aug. 14, according to a forecast from the weather service. Showers and thunderstorms are possible.
30,000 Franklin County AEP customers still without power
Thousands of Franklin County residents remained without power for a second night in a row. As of 7 a.m. Aug. 13, just under 30,000 AEP customers in the county were still without power, according to a live outage map.
The company estimated on the map that power would be restored for the remaining customers by around noon Aug. 14.
STORM UPDATE 11 p.m.: While crews made great progress this evening, more than 34,000 AEP Ohio customers still don’t have electricity for a second night in a row. A little more than 2,000 of these outages are in southern Ohio with about 32,000 in central Ohio. pic.twitter.com/BT5iCwF7yA
— AEP Ohio (@AEPOhio) August 13, 2026
The Aug. 11 storms caused widespread damage in Franklin County and around central Ohio. Damage from the storm prompted Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther to declare a Mayor's Emergency and delayed the start date for Upper Arlington Schools.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has declared a state of emergency in Perry and Muskingum counties.
Public safety and breaking news reporter Bailey Gallion can be reached at bagallion@dispatch.com.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Flood watch extended as thousands still without power in Franklin County
