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Aerial footage of Tristate flooding on Tuesday Feb. 20, 2018. The floods affected businesses and communities alongside the river.
The Enquirer/Phil Didion
For the latest flood updates on this developing story, click or tap here.
Editor’s note: More up-to-date reporting can be found above.
Earlier reporting: A record rainy day followed by a night of wild weather strengthened flooding’s grip on multiple portions of Greater Cincinnati early Sunday.
The National Weather Service confirmed Sunday afternoon that a tornado touched down overnight in Clermont County southwest of the Village of Felicity. Meteorologists did not have a rating for the strength of the tornado as of Sunday afternoon.
The number of road closings seemingly multiplied by the hour late Saturday and into the morning hours. Cincinnati Police Department reported making numerous water rescues of drivers whose vehicles became caught up in the floodwaters.
According to the city of Cincinnati, the Mill Creek Barrier Dam had all eight pumps in service for the first time in recent memory, but only four were in operation as of 11:30 a.m. Sunday. Additionally, five of the city’s 24 floodgates are in place and functioning.
The impact of the flooding has been widespread.
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Sun., Feb. 25, 2018: Chad Koller carries his cat, Livy, on Sunday afternoon, after the Ohio River flooded his Aurora, Indiana apartment. Saturday morning, he “woke up into it Ð waist-high water,” he said. Koller lost his phone and his water in the flood the day before and came back Sunday to rescue his two cats. “I couldn’t find her. I was hoping she was still alive. Then she poked her head out of cabinet,” he said. He still hadn’t found his other cat. This has been the most significant Ohio River flooding since 1997. The Enquirer/Carrie Cochran
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Heavy rains lead to landslides in Mount Adams and Paddock Hills
The National Weather Service and emergency management officials are examining storm damage in Clermont and Brown counties in Ohio caused by high winds.
Even two U.S. post offices have had to relocate because of the floodwaters.
The weather Saturday night into Sunday morning did exactly what meteorologists feared: It dumped another 2-3 inches of rain on already soggy southwest Ohio communities.
“To put that much water on already saturated soil without much vegetation to suck it up – that was what we were most concerned about,” said Kristen Cassady, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Wilmington.
The heavy rains led to 195 sewer backup calls by Sunday morning, according to the city. Fourteen crews from the Metropolitan Sewer District of Greater Cincinnati were out servicing those as quickly as possible Sunday afternoon.
The Ohio River is expected to crest at 60.7 feet by Sunday evening, the National Weather Service said. The river on Sunday morning rose above the 60 feet mark for the first time in two decades.
“At stages near 61 feet, flooding worsens in the East End, as well as along the riverfront,” a weather service statement said. “Increasing numbers of homes and businesses in New Richmond are flooded. Pete Rose Way remains flooded and Kellogg Road flooding worsens. Homes and businesses in the East End and California are significantly flooded. Much of Route 52 continues to flood between Cincinnati and New Richmond. Backwater flooding up the Little Miami River affects Anderson Township up to Newtown. Low-lying roads in Newport, Ludlow and Bromley, Kentucky flood, as well as portions of Lawrenceburg outside the flood wall, as well as in Aurora, Indiana.”
Nonetheless, meteorologist Cassady said, the Ohio will reach the highest level at Cincinnati since the 1997 flooding, when it crested at 64.7 feet.
“Luckily, we will be dry the rest of the day,” Cassady said. With no rain in the forecast Monday or Tuesday, the river should slowly start to recede.
Cassady put an emphasis on “slowly,” because tributaries that flow into the river like the Little and Great Miami Rivers will continue to drain to the Ohio, meaning it will take some time for river levels to return to normal.
According to the city, the Ohio could return to normal levels by the latter part of this week.
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Flooding along Kellogg Avenue | 0:30
Two to three inches of rain dumped Saturday night and Sunday morning to the already soggy Cincinnati area.This is the first time the river rose above the 60 feet mark for in two decades. Cara Owsley/The Enquirer
Cara Owsley/The Enquirer
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River view from a plane approaching CVG | 0:14
A look at the Ohio River from a plane on approach to Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport Saturday afternoon.
The Enquirer/Carrie Cochran
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What’s Cincy’s most flood-prone month? It’s coming soon | 0:49
Cincinnati has had 105 floods since records started to be kept in 1858. Three of 10 have occurred in March, an Enquirer analysis of National Weather Service records shows. NWS forecasters also are projecting we have up to a 10 percent chance of a ‘moderate’ flood for the week of March 6.
Wochit
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Watch: Bird’s-eye view of local flooding | 0:39
Aerial footage of Tristate flooding on Tuesday Feb. 20, 2018. The floods affected businesses and communities alongside the river.
The Enquirer/Phil Didion
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2018 Ohio River flood by the numbers | 0:00
Here’s a look at the numbers that explain the 2018 flood of the Ohio River.
The Enqurer/Mike Nyerges
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What does ‘moderate’ flooding look like in Cincinnati? | 1:00
The Ohio River is forecast to crest at 55.5 feet in Cincinnati, just over the line between “minor” and “moderate” flooding. How often does such flooding occur and what does it look like in and near the city?
Wochit
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Ohio River on the rise at Smale Park | 0:53
An amended forecast released Tuesday predicted the river will crest Tuesday night at 55.5 feet, about six inches lower than earlier forecasts.
Luann Gibbs/Wochit
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The Ohio River on the rise | 0:30
Forecasters are predicting the Ohio River will reach the moderate flood stage in a new warning issued Monday morning.
Amanda Rossmann
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Ohio River flood of 1937: Worst natural disaster in Cincinnati history | 0:54
After unprecedented precipitation, the Ohio River in Cincinnati rose to its all-time high on Jan. 26, 1937. It was a natural disaster than spanned the entire length of the 981-mile-long river.
Michael Nyerges
As of 2 p.m., the river was at 60.37 feet.
As the river reached 60 feet Sunday, area residents should expect these impacts, according to the weather service:
- Significant road flooding in Newport.
- Flooding of homes in the East End of Cincinnati.
- Worsening flooding on U.S. Route 52.
- Flooding in southern Ohio Township in Clermont County, including about half of New Richmond.
- Backwater flooding along the Little Miami and Licking rivers.
Regionally, flood warnings are in place today for the Ohio River in Cincinnati, Portsmouth, Maysville, Meldahl Dam and Markland Dam. The Ohio was prompting flooding concerns upstream in Pittsburgh and downstream in southeast Indiana and Louisville.
On the brighter side, the worst of stormy weather had passed in the predawn hours, according to the weather service. The night had seen tornado warnings in portions of Northern Kentucky and flash flood warnings throughout the region.
“Heavy rain showers are ending from west to east the potential for severe weather has greatly diminished,” the weather service tweeted overnight. “A cold front will approach from the west this morning, which will bring dry conditions after it passes a brief period of gusty winds to 40 MPH.”
The flash flood warnings drew to a close in the 4 a.m. hour. Winds gusting to 45 mph were forecast around dawn as a cold front began moving in. By midday, residents can expect sunshine and a high around 50 degrees.
On Saturday, Cincinnati had its wettest Feb. 24 on record, drenched by 2.26 inches of rain. (The previous local record for the date was 1.37 inches.) All that rainfall is flowing into already swollen streams, creeks and rivers.
Clermont County sees tornado damage, 70 structures flooded
The National Weather Service confirmed Sunday afternoon that a tornado touched down overnight in Clermont County southwest of the Village of Felicity. Meteorologists did not have a rating for the strength of the tornado as of Sunday afternioon.
From Clermont County officials:
Preliminary assessments indicate that than 70 structures in Clermont County have been impacted by flooding. These include properties in the Village of New Richmond, the Village of Neville, Monroe, Pierce and Ohio Townships.
High winds late Saturday night/early Sunday morning damaged properties and downed trees in the communities of Monroe Twp, Washington Twp, Franklin Twp, and the Village of Felicity. The National Weather Service is assessing damage to determine if caused by a tornado or straight-line winds. The Clermont County Building Inspection Department is inspecting structures.
Dam drama in Sharonville
Tensions were high overnight in Sharonville as officials kept a close eye on the dam at Sharon Woods.
“The dam is holding steady at the moment,” Sharonville Mayor Kevin Hardman wrote in a Facebook post to residents at about 1:45 a.m. “We are hopeful that it will not topple over at this point. We have a crew stationed at the dam to provide notice in the event a breach becomes imminent.”
Flood waters did go over the dam, Sharonville dispatcher Amy Smith said Sunday morning, but evacuations were not necessary and the water is beginning to recede. Some roads are closed.
“Right now, everything is pretty good,” Smith said. “We hope to get the roads opened up as soon as we can.”
Parks officials survey impact
Jack Sutton, executive director of Great Parks of Hamilton County, which operates Sharon Woods, said the park is open today. Safety checks have been made on bridges and trails downstream from the dam.
“We have a lot of downstream neighbors in Sharonville, on Cornell Road, some along Route 42,” Sutton said. “No one is in jeopardy from what happened last night.”
The boathouse on the lake may be a different story. When the lake flash floods, water can get in.
The park district was working to assess property damage this morning.
Some of the county parks closer to the Ohio River are closed, including Otto Armleder in Cincinnati’s East Side and Fernbank Park on Cincinnati’s West Side.
Sutton’s biggest concern is the Little Miami Golf Center in Newtown. In 1997, when the Ohio River reached 59 feet, the golf center was three feet underwater. The park district is working this morning to get merchandise, golf and office equipment out of the building.
River levels
Ohio River: The river was at 60.47 feet by 2 p.m. and headed for as high as 60.7 feet by Sunday afternoon. Flood stage is 52 feet. This is the highest level seen since the 1997 floods.
“Moderate flooding is occurring and is forecast to continue,” the National Weather Service at Wilmington said in a predawn flood warning. After cresting at about 60 feet, the Ohio River’s waters are forecast to recede. Yet the river may remain above flood stage until late in the week.
At the Mehldahl Dam, the level was at 55.31 feet at 2 p.m. Sunday. Waters are to continue rising to near 55.9 feet by after midnight Sunday, and should remain above flood stage until Friday morning.
Downriver at the Markland Damn, levels were at 56.64 feet as of 2 p.m. and projected to reach 58.4 by early Monday morning.
Great Miami River: At 1 a.m. Sunday, the river’s stage was 23.32 feet and headed toward 23.9 feet, just below moderate flood stage.
This means minor flooding has been occurring and will continue.
At 23.9 level, moderate flooding is likely to occur south of Miamitown in southwest Miami Township, as well as between New Baltimore and Cleves and in Sidney.
The river will remain above flood stage until midday Tuesday.
Other rivers with flood warnings:
- Little Miami River at Kings Mills and at Milford.
- Scioto River at Piketon and at Circleville.
- Big Darby Creek at Darbyville.
Road closings
Cincinnati Police reported these new road closings as of 3:30 a.m. Sunday:
- A landslide has blocked traffic at Reading Road and Tennessee Avenue at the Cincinnati-Norwood border. Police are suggesting drivers take alternate routes.
- I-275 Exit 72 to Kellogg Avenue.
- Apple Hill between Kellogg and Salem.
- Portions of Mehring Way between Gest Street and Freeman Avenue.
- Police expect Freeman Avenue south of Sixth Street and Mehring Way from Freeman to Pete Rose Way will be closed by dawn Sunday.
- Dooley By-Pass in Northside near Spring Grove.
- Columbia Parkway has reopened except between Delta Avenue and Wm. H. Taft Road.
- East Miami River Road at Jordan Road in Miami Township.
- Fields Ertel Road in Sharonville from U.S. 42 to Village Woods Drive.
- Canal Road in front of the UPS Customer Center in Sharonville.
Also, road closures have made the neighborhood of California accessible only by the I-275 west entrance and exits.
“With water rising throughout the day Sunday, it is reasonable to believe additional major roadways will become flooded,” Cincinnati Police warned, noting both police and firefighters had made water rescues of stranded drivers Saturday night.
“Turn around, don’t drown,” Cincinnati Police cautioned drivers.
Post offices relocated
From the U.S. Postal Service:
The California, Kentucky, Post Office 41007, is temporarily closed due to flooding. Retail and delivery operations have been temporarily relocated to the Alexandria, Kentucky, Post Office 44101.
The Ripley, Ohio, Post Office 45167 is temporarily closed due to flooding. Retail and delivery operations have been temporarily relocated to the Georgetown, Ohio, Post Office 45121.
Mail delivery is being attempted daily as flooding conditions permit.
Earlier coverage
The bureaucratic chips that accompany major flooding episodes began to fall Friday and Saturday as the banks of the Ohio River inched outward.
On Saturday afternoon Ohio Gov. John Kasich issued an emergency declaration for 17 Ohio counties in response to flooding.
The declaration activated the Ohio National Guard to assist community responses to flooding. Preparation efforts included deploying troops in response to local requests to help install floodgates along floodwalls.
The impacted Ohio counties as of Saturday evening were: Adams, Athens, Belmont, Brown, Clermont, Columbiana, Gallia, Hamilton, Hocking, Jackson, Jefferson, Lawrence, Monroe, Meigs, Muskingum, Scioto and Washington.
“As the weather and flooding is expected to get worse, we’re staying ahead of things by taking our readiness up to the next level and declaring an emergency where we expect the worst conditions,” Kasich said in a news release. “We’ll quickly add to those areas as it’s needed.”
Also on Saturday afternoon, Dearborn County officials announced an “orange level” travel advisory, meaning only essential travel is recommended and conditions are threatening to public safety.
More: Cincinnati flooding: Kasich declares emergencies for 17 counties, storms may bring 1-2 inches
More: Cincinnati traffic: Several roads are closed due to flooding
Dearborn County Emergency Management Director Jason Sullivan said in a news release, “only essential travel, such as to and from work or in emergency situations, is recommended, and emergency action plans should be implemented by businesses, schools, government agencies and other organizations.”
Those moves followed declarations on the Kentucky side of the swelling river.
Covington and Kenton County declared a state of emergency Friday evening due to the flooding. The declaration allows city and county officials to take any step needed to protect citizens.
Covington Mayor Joe Meyer and Kenton County Judge-Executive Kris A. Knochelmann said the declaration was a precautionary measure. Declaring an emergency allowed access to Federal Emergency Management Agency aid if needed.
Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin Friday evening declared a statewide state of emergency in response to “continued heavy rainfall events which have caused widespread flooding and damage to critical infrastructure across Kentucky.”
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The move allowed state resources to be mobilized and made ready to assist Kentucky’s cities and counties.
Search and rescue teams were placed on standby around the state and the National Guard is preparing for flood response activities, according to a news release from Bevin’s office.
Additionally, the Kentucky Emergency Management activated the State Emergency Operations Center on Thursday.
At 4:15 p.m. Saturday the National Weather Service issued a flood warning for the Little Miami River at Kings Mills and at Milford, the Great Miami River near Middletown and Ohio Brush Creek above West Union.
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Here’s a look at the numbers that explain the 2018 flood of the Ohio River.
The Enqurer/Mike Nyerges
Forecasters said the Little Miami River at Kings Mills will rise above flood stage by early Sunday morning and continue to rise to 23.7 feet by Sunday morning.
“At stages near 17 feet, flooding of lowland areas occurs from South Lebanon to Foster,” the weather service said in a news release. “Portions of Mason-Morrow-Millgrove Road also flood.”
Kristen Cassady, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Wilmington, said the lack of vegetation this time of year is contributing to the rising waters.
“The vegetation that we would have in the spring and summer usually would help soak up some of the water from the ground,” Cassady said. “So now we’re having a lot of rainfall that is just being converted to runoff with the ground being so saturated.”
Weather service forecasters predicted the Ohio River would crest at 60 feet Sunday morning.
More: Smale Riverside Park evacuated by police as the Ohio River rises
Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that the river was projected to crest higher than the 1997 flood.