Heavy Rain Could Cause Flooding In Ohio

A flood watch has been issued for much of Northeast Ohio by the National Weather Service. The agency warns that widespread and heavy rain will fall most of Tuesday and could lead to region-wide flooding.

"River flooding will be likely. Flooding of low lying areas and poor drainage areas are likely to flood. This may result in driving difficulties or even possible road closures. There is a continued threat for ice jam flooding in areas where ice remains," the NWS said.

Rain is expected to fall most of Tuesday and into Wednesday morning, bringing 1 to 1.5 inches of precipitation to the region. Combined with frozen ground, elevated rivers, and a light snowpack, the rain could cause flooding throughout much of Ohio.

The flood watch is in effect for much of Ohio, including: Ashland, Ashtabula Inland, Ashtabula Lakeshore, Crawford, Cuyahoga, Erie, Geauga, Hancock, Holmes, Huron, Knox, Lake, Lorain, Lucas, Mahoning, Marion, Medina, Morrow, Ottawa, Portage, Richland, Sandusky, Seneca, Stark, Summit, Trumbull, Wayne, Wood and Wyandot.

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The National Weather Service expects the rain to subside early on Wednesday morning, so the flood watch will expire at 4 a.m. on Feb. 13. There is a slight chance that Wednesday's rain turns to snow as temperatures drop into the 30s.

More rain will hit Northeast Ohio on Thursday, based on current forecasts. Temperatures are expected to climb into the mid-40s, and precipitation will fall most of Thursday.

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