Flash Flooding and Flooding in Ohio, August 20 to 26, 2007

Heavy thunderstorm rains fell on Seneca County on August 19th through the 21st. Widespread flooding occurred across the county with the worst conditions reported in northern Seneca County. A spotter in the northwestern corner of the county reported 6.30 inches of rain between 8 am on the 19th and 3 pm on the 20th. A Cooperative Observer in Tiffin measured a three day total of 4.45 inches. Significant flooding occurred along all of the major rivers and steams in the county. The Sandusky River left it's banks in Tiffin and flooded portions of 5th and 6th Avenues. Many homes on these streets were damaged by flooding. Wolf Creek left it's bank near Bettsville and caused a lot of damage. At least two homes in the town had to be evacuated because of flooding. State Route 12 had to be closed because of flood waters up to three feet deep. On the 21st, a nursing home north of McCutchenville had to be partially evacuated because of rising flood waters. During this event, one home was damaged enough by the flooding to be declared destroyed with another seven homes damaged enough to be uninhabitable. Hundreds of additional homes in the county sustained lesser amounts of damage, mainly from basement flooding. Dozens of streets and highways in the county had to be closed because of flooding. Erosion and standing water caused considerable damage to agricultural interests in the county.

Heavy rain producing thunderstorms affected Wyandot County during the late evening hours of August 20th and early morning hours of August 21st. Rainfall rates with the strongest storms exceeded three inches per hour. Up to six inches of rain was reported in the Upper Sandusky area by 4 am. A Cooperative Observer in Upper Sandusky reported a 24 hour rainfall total of 9.35 inches at 7 am with most of this rain falling between 11 pm and 4 am. An automated gauge at Kildeer Plain State Park recorded 4.10 inches. Runoff from this rain combined with ground already saturated from earlier rains led to catastrophic flooding across portions of Wyandot County. The Carey area was especially hard hit as flooding destroyed or heavily damaged several dozen homes. A total of 176 homes and 42 businesses in the town were damaged. 9 of 15 homes along West South Street were destroyed. By 3 am the flood waters were over knee deep in many locations and many streets were closed. Significant flooding was also reported in the Upper Sandusky and Sycamore areas. Near Sycamore, two teenagers had to be rescued after they were swept into Sycamore Creek by surging flood waters. Hundreds of people had to be evacuated from their homes in the county, including several dozen from a nursing home in Carey. A total of 159 homes are believed to have been destroyed or sustained more than 50 percent losses in the county. Over 500 additional homes and businesses sustained lesser damages from the flooding. At the peak of the flooding, around daybreak on the 21st, nearly every federal, state and county road in the county was closed because of flooding. Damage to roads, bridges and culverts was extensive. Cleanup and overtime costs incurred by local government agencies was substantial. In the City of Carey alone, nearly 600 tons of flood debris had to be removed. Finally, standing water and erosion from the runoff caused damage to agricultural interests in the county. |

Heavy rain producing thunderstorms affected Crawford County during the late evening hours of August 20th and early morning hours of August 21st. Rainfall rates with the strongest storms exceeded three inches per hour. Trained spotters in Bucyrus measured storm totals of 8.68 inches and 8.5 inches respectively. About 5 inches of this total fell between midnight and 4 am. Runoff from this rain combined with ground already saturated from earlier rains led to catastrophic flooding across portions of Crawford County. Local officials stated that the flooding in the county was the worst ever! A total of 68 homes were destroyed with another 240 homes suffering major structural damage. Another 600 homes sustained minor damage with over 1200 additional homes affected (less than three feet of water in the basement). Many businesses also sustained significant damage. Some of the worst flooding occurred in Bucyrus were many people had to be rescued from flood cars. Hundreds of people had to be evacuated and including at least 30 that had to be rescued by boat. Crestline was also hard hit with water in some part of the town over waist deep. Significant damage was reported along Bucyrus Street and Thrush Ave. At least one business in Crestline was destroyed. Dozens of roads and streets had to be closed because of flooding. Damage to roads, bridges and culverts was extensive. Cleanup and overtime costs incurred by local government agencies was substantial. Finally, standing water and erosion from the runoff caused damage to agricultural interests in the county. |

Heavy rain producing thunderstorms affected Richland County during the late evening hours of August 20th and early morning hours of August 21st. Rainfall rates with the strongest storms exceeded three inches per hour. A trained spotter in Mansfield measured a storm total of 7.5 inches. An automated sensor at Mansfield Lahm Airport measured a total of 6.24 inches with 4.09 inches of this total falling between 2 and 8 am. A Cooperative Observer four miles east of Bellville measured a total of 4.30 inches with 4.37 inches measured by an automated gage at Malabar State Park. Runoff from this rain combined with ground already saturated from earlier rains led to catastrophic flooding across portions of Richland County. Local officials stated that the flooding in the county was some of the the worst ever! The Shelby area was especially hard hit as was the northern portion of Mansfield. In Shelby, the Black Fork of the Mohican River left it's banks and flooded most of downtown Shelby. Flood waters in some areas were as much as 8 feet deep. The Municipal Courthouse was a total loss and the Fire Department building was heavily damaged. Damage to city buildings in Shelby topped $1 million. Two schools in Shelby sustained an additional $1.5 million in damages. Dozens of people had to be rescued by boat in Shelby. Water rescue teams from surrounding areas assisted in the rescues. A Coast Guard helicopter from Detroit rescued several people from the roofs of homes. In Mansfield, flood waters heavily damaged the main Post Office on North Main Street. Water inside the building was up to 15 inches deep with flood waters in nearby parking lots as much as five feet deep. Areas surrounding the Post Office were also unindated. Around 20 people had to be rescued from a gas station at the intersection of State Route 13 and U.S. Highway 30. A 74 year old man was killed around 7 am during a fire caused by flooding. The fire was started after flooding knocked over a gas can and a water heater ignited the gas. Around 100 homes in the county were damaged enough to be declared destroyed with at least 250 homes heavily damaged. Another 1500 homes in the county sustained lesser damages. Dozens of business in the county were also damaged by the flooding. Most of these were along Main and North Gamble Streets in Shelby. Dozens of roads and streets had to be closed because of flooding. Damage to roads, bridges and culverts was extensive. Cleanup and overtime costs incurred by local government agencies was substantial. Finally, standing water and erosion from the runoff caused damage to agricultural interests in the county. |

Heavy rain producing thunderstorms affected Hancock County during the late evening hours of August 20th and early morning hours of August 21st. Rainfall rates with the strongest storms approached three inches per hour. An automated sensor at the Findlay Airport measured a total of 5.28 inches. A Cooperative Observer in Findlay measured a storm total of 6.00 inches. Runoff from this rain combined with ground already saturated from earlier rains led to unprecedented and catastrophic flooding across portions of Hancock County. Local officials stated that the flooding in the county was the worst ever! The Findlay area was especially hard hit as the Blanchard River crested 7.5 feet above flood stage. Flooding along the Blanchard River caused both Eagle and Lye Creeks to back up and overflow. Damage along all three was significant. Flooding and damage was also reported along Howard Run on the north side of Findlay. Over 2300 homes and apartments in Hancock County were damaged by flooding. Around 150 of these were damaged enough to be declared destroyed with around 300 more damaged enough to be uninhabitable. The remainder suffered lesser damages, mainly in the form of basement flooding. In addition, dozens of businesses were damaged by the flooding. Government facilities were also hard hit. In Findlay alone, two government buildings were destroyed and several others heavily damaged. Damage to these buildings was estimated to be about $6 million with an additional $2.4 million in losses to six Findlay school buildings. Damage to the City of Findlay water pollution control center was estimated to be around $1.7 million. 41 buildings at Findlay University sustained varying amounts of damage. Nearly 2000 people had to be evacuated during this event. Dozens of rescues also had to be conducted. Water rescue teams from surrounding areas assisted in these efforts. Damage to infrastructure was also significant. Over 50 bridges in the county sustained damage. Damage to these has been estimated at several million dollars. Damage to the East Main Street bridge in Findlay along topped $1 million. Dozens of roads, street and highways, including Interstate 75 had to be closed because of flooding. Cleanup and overtime costs incurred by local government agencies was substantial. Finally, standing water and erosion from the runoff caused damage to agricultural interests in the county.

Heavy rain producing thunderstorms affected Holmes County County during the late evening hours of August 20th and early morning hours of August 21st. Rainfall totals from across the county included: 4.30 inches at Nashville; 3.74 inches at Millersburg; 3.08 inches at Holmesville and 2.40 inches at Stillwell. Runoff from this rain combined with ground already saturated from earlier rains led to significant flooding across portions of Holmes County. Widespread lowland flooding occurred across the county and many roads had to be closed because of flooding. Some of the worst flooding occurred in and around Millersburg and also near Glenmont. Killbuck Creek left it's banks in Millersburg flooding homes and business nearby. Several people had to be evacuated from their homes. In Glenmont, Black Creek went into flood and damaged some homes. Hundreds of homes elsewhere in the county suffered damage as well, mainly from basement flooding. Finally, standing water and erosion from the runoff caused damage to agricultural interests in the county.

Heavy rain across the area during the early morning hours of the 21st quickly brought the Blanchard River in Findlay into flood. At 1:00 am on the 21st, the river gage reading was only 1.82 feet. As the heavy rain fell across the area, the river climbed at the rate of nearly two feet per hour, and exceeded the 11.0 foot flood stage during the early morning hours. As the day progressed, the river continued to climb and by the evening of the 21st its reading was around 15.0 feet. With much of the runoff basin impacted by the heavy rain, the river continued to climb even further during the overnight hours into the morning of the 22nd. By the morning of the 22nd, the river was approaching historical crest levels. Unfortunately, more heavy rain fell across the area during the morning hours of the 22nd, which only prolonged the process of draining the water from the area. The Blanchard River at Findlay finally crested at 18.46 feet at 1:00 pm on the 22nd. According to records this is the second highest crest in history at Findlay, with 18.50 feet on March 13th, 1913 holding onto the highest crest. With the rain coming to an end, the river was able to gradually fall over the next several days. Finally, during the midday hours of the 24th, the river fell below flood stage. See the flash flood write up for Hancock County for damage estimates for this event.

Heavy rain producing thunderstorms affected Ashland County during the late evening hours of August 20th and early morning hours of August 21st. Rainfall totals from across the county included: 3.32 inches at Ashland; 3.46 inches at Jeromesville; 5.18 inches at Mifflin and 4.02 inches at Loudonville. Runoff from this rain combined with ground already saturated from earlier rains led to significant flooding across portions of Ashland County. Widespread lowland flooding occurred across the county and many roads had to be closed because of flooding. Some of the worst flooding occurred near Loudonville after the Black Fork of the Mohican River quickly rose and left it's banks. Many homes and businesses along and near the river sustained flood damage. Hundreds of other homes in the county suffered damage, mainly from basement flooding. Finally, standing water and erosion from the runoff caused damage to agricultural interests in the county. |

Heavy rain fell across the area during the early morning hours of the 21st. During the early morning hours reports described roads with high water on them. As the morning progressed, water quickly flowed into streams and rivers across the county, and those quickly rose. By mid-morning, a campground in Batemantown near the north branch of the Kokosing River was evacuated because the river rose approximately eight inches in just two hours. As the day progressed, there were no additional reports of evacuations, and no roads were closed by high water. By the afternoon, only a few minor roads still had water on them.|

Heavy rain that fell across the area over the past few days eventually ran off into the Killbuck Creek. During the morning hours of the 21st, the Killbuck Creek at Killbuck went into flood. Flood stage there is 15.0 feet. The river continued rising during the afternoon of the 21st, and crested during the overnight hours into the 22nd at around 16.2 feet. Because of the heavy runoff throughout the basin, the river remained in flood through the day on the 22nd, and then finally fell back below flood stage during the early morning hours of the 23rd. While much of the floodwaters from the Killbuck River mainly flow into farm fields nearby, some streets and homes within Killbuck were still affected by the river going above flood stage. The flash flood write up for Holmes County contains much of the estimated damage from flash flooding on the 21st. Damage estimates for this event describe damage directly associated to the river going into flood.

Flooding conditions persisted throughout the county long after flash flooding occurred during the morning hours of the 21st. By the afternoon of the 21st, numerous roads were closed and much of the evacuations took place to get people away from dangerous floodwaters. Road closures along with flooded homes and businesses continued into the 22nd, but by the evening hours high water began receding across the county. Reports from the early morning hours of the 23rd indicate that all roads were reopened by that time. The only remaining closed roads and bridges were ones that sustained severe structural damage. See the accompanying flash flood write up for Ashland County for more details including damage estimates from this event.

High water from flash flooding across the county, along with the flooding from the Blanchard River in Findlay, persisted for several days across the area. See the accompanying write ups for more details about the flooding in the flash flood write up for Hancock County, including damage estimates. There is a separate write up for details of the Blanchard River gage at Findlay.

Floodwaters continued to impact the area long after flash flooding during the morning hours of the 21st. As the day progressed, additional reports of evacuations of business and homes continued. By afternoon, shelters opened for people displaced from their homes by flooding. Roads, businesses and homes were still flooded through the overnight hours and into the morning of the 22nd. By the afternoon of the 22nd, floodwaters began to significantly recede with roads beginning to open. By the evening hours of the 22nd, much of the water receded across the county so that by the morning of the 23rd most roads were reopened. People displaced by flooding were able to get back to their homes and businesses. See the accompanying flash flood write up for Crawford County for damage estimates from this event.

Flash flooding across the area during the morning hours of the 21st turned into flooding conditions during the late morning hours as floodwaters affected homes, businesses, and closed many roads across the area. By midday, shelters were opened to accomodate people flooded out of their homes. The shelters remained opened for the next few days as people across the area coped with the flooding. By the afternoon of the 22nd, water began receding across the county and some roads started to open. By the 23rd, much of the water receded enough across the county for roads to reopen, and many people were able to return to their homes. See the flash flood write up for Wyandot County for damage estimates for this event.

Flooding conditions continued across the area through much of the day on the 21st after flash flooding occurred during the morning hours. High water gradually receded across the county, and by late afternoon much of the flooding diminished across the county. For damage estimates see the associated flash flood write up for Holmes County during the morning of August 21st.

Flooding throughout Richland County continued for several days after flash flooding occurred during the morning hours of the 21st. By the afternoon of the 21st, shelters for displaced flood victims opened across the county. Numerous roads were closed through the overnight hours as floodwaters remained high. Throughout the day on the 22nd, roads remained closed, and home and business were still flooded. Conditions started improving during the late afternoon and evening hours of the 22nd as water began receding. This trend continued during the overnight hours, and conditions improved enough by the morning of the 23rd for roads to open and people to return to their homes and businesses. The only remaining closed roads and bridges were ones that sustained severe structural damage. See the accompanying flash flood write up for more details about this event, along with damage estimates.

The heavy rainfall across the area during the day on the 20th and then south of the area on the 21st caused the Sandusky River at Tiffin to rise rapidly. The river rose above flood stage, which is 8.0 feet, during the afternoon hours of the 21st. Runoff continued throughout the area over the next few days keeping the river in flood. It finally dropped below flood stage during the morning hours of the 25th.

Heavy rain fell across the area during the morning hours of the 20th. Rainfall reports across the area ranged between 2.0 and 4.0 inches throughout the Black River basin that day. While some locations across the county had some locally high water in places, water was able to drain into streams and rivers. With that, runoff from streams and rivers quickly filled that afternoon. With so much water draining throughout the basin, the Black River at Elyria rose above flood stage of 9.5 feet that evening. The river continued to rise through the early overnight hours, then leveled off at around 10.9 feet. The river remained steady at that level for about twelve hours. Then, during the afternoon of the 21st, the river started rising again. This trend continued through the evening hours, and crested at 13.3 feet at 5:30 am on the 22nd. The river began falling through the day on the 22nd, but didn’t go below flood stage until 11:00 pm on the 22nd.

Heavy rain fell across many areas of northwestern Ohio during the first half of the week from August 19th through the 22nd. Some locations across northwest Ohio picked up between 5 and 10 inches of rain during this time. The Maumee River gage at Waterville showed that the river gradually rose through the day on the 20th and 21st, and then went above flood stage of 9.0 feet just before 7:00 pm on the 21st. The river continued to rise through the entire day of the 22nd and much of the day on the 23rd. The river finally crested during the evening of the 23rd at around 11.9 feet. Over the next several days the river slowly fell as it had to handle drainage from upstream rivers, including the Blanchard River. The river remained above flood stage for just over four and a half days, and finally fell below flood stage during the afternoon hours of August 26.