Region under flood warning due to Tropical System Gordon
The National Weather Service in Pittsburgh has issued a flood warning for Washington County and the surrounding areas through today.
Moderate to heavy rain is expected as remnants of Tropical System Gordon cross through the region. Three to six inches of rain are expected by late today, and widespread flooding is possible.
Flooded basements, roadways covered in water, cars stuck in floodwaters, trees down and other weather-related issues plagued the area Sunday.
Washington County Commissioner Larry Maggi announced around 2 p.m. Sunday that due to flooding, Mingo Creek County Park would be closed.
“We are closing Mingo as soon as the people currently in the park are safely out. The creek will be over the banks soon,” Maggi posted on Facebook.
Lee Hendricks, a meteorologist and hydrologist with the National Weather Service, said that another two to three inches of rain could be expected through the end of today. Rain is expected to subside by late tonight.
“We probably haven’t seen rain like this since Hurricane Ivan,” Hendricks said, a long-lived storm that caused major flooding in the area in September 2004.
The National Weather Service has fielded a number of flooding reports in Washington and Greene counties, as well as surrounding counties since rain began to fall. About five to six inches of rain had drenched the area as of Sunday evening.
That means significant rises on the Monongahela, the Youghiogheny and the upper Ohio rivers. Flood warnings have been issued near Grays Landing and Point Marion along the Monongahela River as of Sunday evening, with Hendricks projecting more to be issued further downstream as time progresses.
The Monongahela River is also under a river flood watch throughout our area, from 7:00 a.m. today through Tuesday evening. Sunday evening, the river was at 18.4 feet in Charleroi. The flood stage is 28.0 feet. Forecasters predict it may hit flood stage by this morning.