No initial reports of serious storm damage in central Ohio, though flooding remains threat
There were no immediate reports of serious damage or injuries to authorities in central Ohio counties following severe storms Tuesday night — including in Fairfield and Licking counties where a tornado warning was issued.
But the National Weather Service reports flooding from heavy rainfall runoff remains a threat here into Wednesday morning. Flood warnings had been issued for areas along the Scioto River in Franklin County and for the south fork of the Licking River near Interstate 70 near Buckeye Lake until Wednesday morning.
The flooding is likely worst in Licking County, which received the highest amount of rainfall, NWS meteorologist Christopher Hogue said.
Captain Jerrod Day of the Licking County Sheriff's office said most of the flooding was in the southeastern area of the county, but the water had mostly receded by mid-Wednesday morning. Most roads in the county that were closed for flooding are now re-opened, he added.
Additionally, a flood advisory for Fayette, Franklin, Madison and Pickaway counties is in effect until 9:30 a.m.
There were social media reports of tornadoes in southwest Ohio in Brown County and in West Union, Adams County, about 50-75 miles southeast of Cincinnati that NWS assessment teams will have to confirm on Wednesday.
Aaron Rigsby, who identifies himself as a storm chaser, reported on X, formerly known as Twitter, just before 8 p.m. that a "large multi-vortex, damaging tornado" crossed in front of him on a road south of Russellville in Brown County, just west of West Union, according to Dataminr. He posted a photo showing a large tree down across the roadway.
Another storm chaser, Scott M., who goes by @RandomHeroWX on X, reported three people injured by a suspected tornado in Ripley, also in Brown County along the Ohio River, according to Dataminr. Because it is south of Russellville along U.S. 62, it could be from the same tornado.
In addition, strong winds are believed to have downed power lines across Interstate 75 just north of state Route 63 in Monroe along the Butler County-Warren County line. Traffic on the interstate was brought to a standstill.
In the aftermath of the storms, numerous people in the Columbus area reported rainbows, including Downtown and Upper Arlington. Double rainbows were seen in Franklinton and Westerville.
Central Ohio remained under a tornado watch through 10 p.m., though radar showed the severe weather had passed earlier.
Flood warnings, watch in effect
More:Severe weather: What are the differences between a tornado watch and a tornado warning?
The watch comes the same day as record rainfall of up to 2 inches in some areas Tuesday.
The National Weather Service has issued a river flood warning along the Scioto River for the area of the river near Frank Road in Columbus and the Circleville area in Pickaway County. The NWS has also issued flood warnings for the Licking River near Newark in Licking County and Big Darby Creek in the Darbyville area in Pickaway County.
The river's flood stage is 24 feet. The Scioto River is expected to crest to 24.5 feet early Wednesday morning before falling back below flood stage in the late morning on Wednesday, the weather service said.
The primary areas where the river's flooding may have an impact are outside the Columbus city limits in Franklin, Jackson and Marion Townships in southern Franklin County.
A flood watch is in effect throughout central Ohio and a flood advisory was issued for the Olentangy River near Worthington.
The city of Columbus installed its floodwalls at Greenlawn and Harmon avenues to protect the Franklinton neighborhood.
The last time crews had to activate the walls used to prevent flooding affecting historically low-lying areas in that neighborhood across the river from Downtown was in May 2020. The Scioto River is expected to crest at 24.5 feet overnight, which would be the seventh highest all time, and the wall is expected to be removed late Wednesday morning.
Road closures due to flooding
Because of the installation of the flood walls, Greenwall Avenue is closed between Front Street and Harmon Avenue, and the Interstate 71 ramps to Greenlawn are closed. Harmon Avenue is remain closed between Hard Road and Frank Road.
In addition, U.S. 23 remains closed at Interstate 270 on Columbus' South Side because the underpass taking the road under the interstate is flooded.
Other road closures reported earlier Tuesday included:
- State Route 746 South, Caledonia-Ashley Road, in Delaware County, was closed at Marion-Mt. Gilead Road and State Route 746 North is closed at Marion-Cardington Road East
- State Route 203, LaRue-Prospect Road in Delaware County, was closed to northbound traffic at Water Street and to southbound traffic at Marion Green Camp Road.
The NWS stressed that you should turn around if you encounter flooded roads as most flood deaths occur in vehicles. Visit the Ohio Department of Transportation's real-time map at Ohgo.com for the latest status.
AEP sending out crews as outages hit over 13,000
AEP Ohio crews were actively working to restore power to about 13,000 customers across the state, the utility announced Tuesday evening. Northeast Columbus and Chillicothe are among the affected areas. The utility also said that 1,700 workers are preparing for the severe weather and that 400 additional personnel from Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri and Tennessee are available on standby to assist with restoration efforts if outages occur.
'With high winds and extremely saturated ground, trees are more susceptible to uprooting and falling, potentially breaking poles and bringing down power lines," AEP said in a news release.
"Crews will work to restore any power outages as quickly and safely as possible, but lingering strong wind gusts could delay some restoration efforts."
More storm coverage:Heavy storms raise Ohio insurance premiums, pricing some out of coverage
Columbus firefighters rescue couple beneath Broad Street Bridge
The rising waters along the Scioto River required the Columbus Division of Fire to rescue two homeless people Tuesday morning from beneath the Broad Street bridge.
The couple was sleeping under the bridge around 8:45 a.m. when the water started to rise. While they were never directly in the water, the flooding prevented them from returning to the shore, Columbus Division of Fire Battalion Chief Jeff Geitter said.
A boat from the Columbus Division of Fire retrieved them and brought them to shore. No injuries were reported.
Read More:Map tracks deadly tornadoes through Ohio
Central Ohioans should expect excessive runoff could result in flooding of rivers, creeks, streams, and other low-lying and flood-prone locations and be prepared to evacuate.
Flood walls going up in Columbus, and some roads are closed
Are Columbus-area closures or delayed due to flooding?
The Columbus Zoo announced that it would close early due to the storms.
Columbus Metropolitan Libraries said it's closing all 23 locations at 3:30 p.m.
Franklin County Municipal Court is closing at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday because of the impending weather and water leaks within the building. Those with hearings scheduled for 2:30 p.m. or later on Tuesday afternoon will need to reschedule.
School closings due to the flooding have been limited, but the storms impacted a handful of districts.
- Circleville isn’t transporting students
- Madison-Plains is closed
- Pickerington Local Schools main parking lot is flooded
- Columbus State University will close early
- Olentangy Local Schools will dismiss 90 minutes early
Columbus Clippers vs. Omaha Storm Chasers postponed
The Columbus Clippers' home opener against the Omaha Storm Chasers has been postponed due to inclement weather, the team confirmed. The game was initially scheduled for 6:15 p.m. Tuesday night at Huntington Park.
Severe storms with potential tornadoes Tuesday afternoon and evening
Showers and thunderstorms are also possible before 10 a.m. and will include some heavy rain, the NWS said. High temperatures are expected near 73 degrees with southeast winds between 7 mph to 17 mph becoming west in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 29 mph and the chance of precipitation is 100%. New rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.
The arrival of the cold front and the warm afternoon temperatures will likely combine to produce widespread severe thunderstorms and potentially tornadoes Tuesday afternoon and evening. New rainfall amounts of between a half-inch and three-quarters of an inch or more are forecast.
Expect more showers and possible thunderstorms later Tuesday night going into early Wednesday. There is a slight chance of showers again after 5 a.m. Wednesday, with an overnight low around 38 degrees.
The rest of the week's forecast includes rain and possible snow continuing through Friday.
More:Licking County officials watching rivers, roads for flooding as more rainy weather forecast
@ShahidMeighan