Flash Flooding and Flooding in Ohio, September 27, 2002

Name: Flash Flooding and Flooding in Ohio, September 27, 2002
Start: 2002-09-27T05:00
End: 2002-09-27T10:30
Location: Ohio

September 27, 2002 · NWS ILN · 12 events in 10 counties and zones

10 flood, 2 flash flood, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 12 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $25,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 12

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 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 Sep 27, 1:55 AM EST, 3 hours 5 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 27, 1:55 AM EST, 3 hours 5 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON OH
255 AM EDT FRI SEP 27 2002

SURFACE ANALYSIS INDICATES REMNANTS OF TS ISIDORE LOCATED JUST SOUTH
OF KBNA.  BEST PRESSURE FALLS CENTER ON KLEX.  KILN SHOWING DRY SLOT
INTO SOUTHERN FA.  REGIONAL RADARS INDICATES PLENTY OF RETURNS NORTH
OF LOW.

GFS IS THE MODEL OF CHOICE.  IT INITIALIZED VERY CLOSE TO REAL TIME
POSITION AND DEPTH.  THE ETA/NGM WHERE FARTHER NORTH AND TOO DEEP.
DPROG/DT INDICATES AVN HAS BEEN MORE CONSISTENT RUN TO RUN WITH THE
ETA TRENDING TOWARDS IT.

FLOOD WATCH WILL REMAIN UP THROUGH 6 PM.  00Z KILN SOUNDING SHOWED
1.67 PWS WHICH IS 200% OF NORMAL.  PWS ARE EXPECTED TO INCREASE TO
2.3 TO 2.4 INCHES WHICH WILL PUSH IT TO 300% OF NORMAL.  GFS TRACKS
SURFACE LOW JUST SOUTH OF KCVG AND KCMH TODAY.  THIS WILL PUT THE
HEAVIEST RAINFALL JUST TO THE NORTH OF LOW OVER ALONG AND JUST NORTH
OF THE I-71 CORRIDOR.  HPC SUGGESTS GREATER THAN 5 INCHES IS
POSSIBLE...THIS SEEMS REASONABLE AS JUST TO THE NORTH AND WEST OF
LOW IS THE MOST EFFICIENT RAIN PRODUCER.  TO THE SOUTH AND EAST OF
THE LOW WILL KEEP WATCH UP TO ACCOUNT FOR POTENTIAL CONVECTION AS
MOST AREAS SAW 1.5 TO 2 INCHES TODAY.

HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS IN BEHIND LOW.  HOWEVER...WILL BE SLOW WITH
CLEARING.  BOUNDARY LAYER WILL STAY WET FOR SEVERAL DAYS AFTER THIS
RAINFALL.  IF CLEARING OCCURS TONIGHT THINK STRATUS/FOG WILL DEVELOP
QUICKLY.  LATTER SHIFTS WILL HAVE TO MONITOR.

MAV LOOKS IN DESCENT SHAPE THROUGH THE PERIOD.  HIGHS TODAY WILL
STAY IN THE 60S NORTH OF LOW TRACK IN THE LOW TO MID 70S SOUTH.

.ILN...
IN...FLOOD WATCH THROUGH 6 PM FRIDAY FOR ZONES
INZ050...INZ058>059...INZ066...INZ073>075...INZ080.

KY...FLOOD WATCH THROUGH 6 PM FRIDAY FOR ZONES KYZ089>100.

OH...FLOOD WATCH THROUGH 6 PM FRIDAY FOR ZONES
OHZ026...OHZ034>035...OHZ042>046...OHZ051>056...OHZ060>065...OHZ070>0
74...OHZ077>082...OHZ088.

 TIPTON

The radar

The Cincinnati radar (KILN), 55 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 09:57 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

10 flood, 2 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Montgomery

When: September 27, 5:00 AM EST to 9:30 AM EST
Where: Montgomery forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 39.755, -84.291 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The remnants of Tropical Storm Isidore tracked into the Ohio Valley during the early and mid morning hours, spreading a large area of heavy tropical rains into southwest and west central Ohio. The heaviest rain fell from just west of Cincinnati north into the Miami Valley and Dayton metropolitan area. Rainfall amounts in these areas were between four and six inches, with a large area of two to four inch rainfall elsewhere. High water caused problems on numerous roadways throughout this region. An antique shop on West Wyoming Road in the western Cincinnati suburbs suffered a roof collapse from water buildup. Two cars were trapped in high water on Somersville-Jacksonburg Road and occupants had to be rescued. Manhole covers throughout Dayton were being blown off due to intense buildup of water pressure.

Flood, Butler

When: September 27, 5:11 AM EST to 9:00 AM EST
Where: Butler forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 39.439, -84.576 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Hamilton

When: September 27, 5:30 AM EST to 9:00 AM EST
Where: Hamilton forecast zone
Property damage: $25,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 39.196, -84.543 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Warren

When: September 27, 5:50 AM EST to 6:00 AM EST
Where: Warren forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 39.428, -84.167 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Miami

When: September 27, 7:30 AM EST to 8:10 AM EST
Where: Miami County, Countywide
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 40.053, -84.229 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High water problems closed numerous roads throughout the county.

Flash Flood, Montgomery

When: September 27, 7:30 AM EST to 8:10 AM EST
Where: Montgomery County, Dayton
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 39.755, -84.291 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Numerous roads were flooded throughout the Dayton metropolitan area. A man had to be rescued when he drove his car into a flooded retention pond near the Dayton Mall.

Flood, Warren

When: September 27, 8:00 AM EST to 9:30 AM EST
Where: Warren forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 39.428, -84.167 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Champaign

When: September 27, 8:30 AM EST to 10:30 AM EST
Where: Champaign forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 40.138, -83.769 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Clark

When: September 27, 9:00 AM EST to 10:30 AM EST
Where: Clark forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 39.917, -83.784 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Greene

When: September 27, 9:00 AM EST to 9:45 AM EST
Where: Greene forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 39.692, -83.890 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Union

When: September 27, 9:30 AM EST to 10:10 AM EST
Where: Union forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 40.299, -83.372 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Logan

When: September 27, 10:00 AM EST to 10:10 AM EST
Where: Logan forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 40.388, -83.766 (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.
Flash Flood: Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.

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, September 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: 5317285, 5317201, 5317284, 5317478, 5317479, 5317480, 5317382, 5317286, 5317380, 5317381, 5317477, 5317476.