Flooding predicted along Monongahela River
Factory Way at Meadow Lane in Washington was closed because of flooding Wednesday morning.
Portions of Valley Brook Road and Georgetown Road were closed Wednesday because of flooding spawned by heavy rain and melting snow.
Rices Landing firefighter Brandon Kozich aids in the rescue of a dog from the Monongahela River on Wednesday morning.
A view of Toms Run Road facing south Wednesday
Dunkard Creek spills over Toms Run Road in front of the brass factory Wednesday
A PennDOT truck makes its way across floodwaters covering a section of Route 2017 in Cumberland Township.
Signs, such as this one marking Route 2017, did not deter some motorists from attempting to cross flooded roads, even with PennDOT vehicles at both ends.
Ice spilled into Ten Mile Creek Park, near Clarksville, Wednesday leaving a picnic table as the only visible indication of its location.
The National Weather Service predicted flooding along the Monongahela River in Washington and Greene counties beginning Wednesday night into this morning after Mother Nature delivered a one-two punch of heavy rainfall with rapid snowmelt.
Joe Palko, a hydrologist with the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh, said the service increased its flooding predictions for the Mon River after the region experienced more rainfall and snowmelt Wednesday than predicted.
“It’s not just a minor flood,” Palko said.
California Borough police said Coal Center Bridge, which spans over West Pike Run, was closed Wednesday evening because of flooding. A 911 supervisor said minor flooding occured in the area by 9 p.m. Wednesday .
The Mon was expected to crest at nearly 28 feet in Point Marion this morning, indicating major flooding in that area. The river in Charleroi was expected to reach 32 feet early Thursday morning, which is 4 feet above flood stage, and close the No. 4 Locks and Dam. The Mon was expected to be about 3 feet above flood level Wednesday night in Grays Landing.
“The flooding we’re seeing down there is pretty nasty with all of the ice flows,” weather service spokesman Evan Bookbinder said.
State police and the Greensboro and Rices Landing volunteer fire departments were placed on alert Wednesday afternoon by Greene County Emergency Management Department after Lake Lynn in Fayette County reached stage 3 level, according to department Director Greg Leathers. Leathers said gates were open at Lake Lynn Dam and water was still coming over the top Wednesday afternoon, dumping water into Cheat River, which feeds into the Mon at Point Marion. Authorities were preparing to notify people living in flood plains about the possibility of flooding.
“This was the problem with the Election Day Flood in 1985,” Leathers said. “It is a concern but we’ve been here before.”
However, Leathers said the predicted overnight snowfall was preferable to heavy rain.
Elsewhere, the region experienced sporadic flooding and road closures as crews prepared for snow expected to dump a few inches on the region by Thursday morning.
Cecil Township Manager Don Gennuso called this week a “challenging experience” for the municipality’s road crew as workers quickly switched from flood response to snow removal within a few hours Wednesday.
“Our crews are getting a lesson, but we’re on top of it,” Gennuso said. “The guys are tired because they’ve had a rough January and February, and now March is proving to be difficult as well.”
Lee Hendricks, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh, said an unusual weather pattern brought intense showers Tuesday night into Wednesday morning that produced about 1.25 inches in Washington County. Temperatures are expected to plummet today with 3 to 6 inches of snow predicted in Washington County and slightly more to south in Greene County, he said.
“You had a fairly intense storm system that brought a strong surge of warm air to the region in front of the cold front,” Hendricks said. “Now, the cold front is coming through and bringing the snow to us.”
Flooding in Greene County prompted more than 30 road closures, PennDOT spokeswoman Valerie Petersen said. She warned against people attempting to cross water-covered roads.
“You never know how deep the water is. A car can stall if it gets in too deep of water. You also do not want to hydroplane,” Petersen said. “People need to drive appropriately and watch for changes in the weather and road conditions. Our crews are out there and they are prepared.”
The morning began for Rices Landing volunteer firefighters with a call to rescue a dog that fell into the Monongahela River. Firefighter Brandon Kozich said the dog was playing in its owner’s backyard when it slid down an icy hill that led to the river. Kozich said the dog slid out on the iced-over river’s edge and then fell through a thin sheet of ice. He and fellow firefighters used safety vests and rope to traverse the hill and crawl onto thick ice closer to the shore. The dog was rescued without incident and returned safely to its family.
The weather prompted a number of early dismissals or school cancellations in both Washington and Greene counties on Wednesday with delays and closures expected Thursday morning.
Staff writer Scott Beveridge contributed to this report.