Flood in Ohio, March 20, 2002

Name: Flood in Ohio, March 20, 2002
Start: 2002-03-20T01:00
End: 2002-03-20T09:00
Location: Ohio

March 20, 2002 · NWS ILN · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Very heavy rainfall caused area creeks and streams to rise out of their banks and several roads were closed due to the high water.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 1

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS ILN wrote it up.

Very heavy rainfall caused area creeks and streams to rise out of their banks and several roads were closed due to the high water.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Wilmington, OH wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 19, 8:25 PM EST, 4 hours 35 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 19, 8:25 PM EST, 4 hours 35 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON OH
825 PM EST TUE MAR 19 2002

FLOOD WATCH CONTINUES FOR SOUTHERN FCST AREA ALONG OHIO RIVER.

LIGHT RAIN HAS OVERSPREAD MUCH OF FA EXCEPT FOR NORTHWEST ZONES.
HEAVIER PRECIPITATION CONTINUES TO BE CONFINED TO MAINLY SOUTH PART
OF FA. AS WAVE MOVES NORTHEAST ALONG FRONT OVERNIGHT...ADDITIONAL
HEAVIER PRECIPITATION EXPECTED TO OCCUR SOUTHEAST PART OF FA. AREAL
COVERAGE DEFINED IN THE FLOOD WATCH STILL LOOKS ON TRACK.

PRECIPITATION HAS SPREAD FURTHER NORTH SO WILL ADJUST PRECIPITATION
TO CATEGORICAL IN DAY TO CMH ZONES. WILL ALSO ADJUST CMH ZONE GROUP
TO ADD UNION AND DELAWARE COUNTIES. TEMPERATURES CURRENTLY IN THE
40S AND OVERNIGHT LOWS ARE NOT EXPTECTED TO STRAY TOO FAR FROM THESE
TEMPERATURES. WILL MAKE MINOR ADJUSTMENTS TO SOME LOW TEMPERATURES
AND WIND DIRECTIONS.

MISILN OUT SHORTLY.

.ILN...FLOOD WATCH FROM NOON TUESDAY THROUGH NOON WED FOR
       KYZ094>100-OHZ079-081-088.

PARKER

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Scioto

When: March 20, 1:00 AM EST to 9:00 AM EST
Where: Scioto forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 38.804, -82.993 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Flood: Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Ohio in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in Ohio, March 2002

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5286989.