With heavy rain expected, snow melting and ice jams possible along some area rivers, moderate to major flooding is expected in parts of our viewing area by late Friday afternoon.
Katie McGraw provided a live in-depth update at noon. Watch below:
Flood warnings have been issued for the following areas across Northeast Ohio:
Cuyahoga River in Independence — Cuyahoga County
Black River in Elyria — Lorain County
Huron River in Milan — Erie and Huron counties
Killbuck Creek in Killbuck — Holmes County
Chagrin River in Willoughby — Lake County
Grand River in Painesville — Lake County
Nimishillen Creek in North Industry — Stark County.
Holmes County.
Wayne County.
A Flood Warning is also in effect for Summit, Portage, Trumbull and Mahoning counties.
A River Flood Warning has been issued for Erie County. Flooding has been reported at the Huron River near Milan.
A Flood Watch has been issued for much of the area now through at least 1 a.m. Friday morning. Some parts of the area could pick up 1-2" of rain by Thursday night. That heavy rain combined with rapid snow melt from warmer temps and possible ice jams will lead to an increased flood threat Thursday.
Winter Storm Warning
A Winter Storm Warning has been issued for the following counties until 7 a.m. Friday:
- Lorain County.
- Lake County.
- Cuyahoga County.
- Geauga County.
- Ashtabula County.
Lorain County Flooding
The Lorain County Metro Parks has closed the Vermilion River Reservation due to flooding. Mill Hollow and Bacon Woods are both closed. An ice jam on the Vermilion River at Mill Hollow and Bacon Woods in the Vermilion River Reservation broke loose and is causing flooding downstream. Rising water has also been reported at Edson Creek and Brownhelm Creek.
You watch the ice floes in the Vermilion River in the player below:
The Black River Reservation Bridgeway Trail between Bur Oak and Day's Dam is also closed due to flooding.
Chagrin River flowing after ice jam early this morning
The City of Eastlake issued a reverse 911 call at about 7 a.m. Thursday as the Chagrin River started rising due to an ice jam. Willoughby Hills showed a high level water, and the NWS showed the river level spike to about 10.7 feet at Willoughby on Thursday morning. Minor flood stage there is 12 feet, and the river is forecast to rise to about 12.9 feet by Friday morning.
By about 9 a.m., the river had opened up and was flowing, according to a Facebook post by the City of Eastlake. Officials said they do have ice jams in a few of the channels, and crews are checking on all the usual flood areas.
Lake County Emergency Notifications
If you live in Lake County and want to sign up for its Wireless Emergency Notification System, you can do so by clicking, here.
According to the county, the "system provides subscribers the option to receive notifications via text, email, and/or voice, related to weather events, emergencies, road closures, and more. Lake County residents can also sign up to receive community specific alerts. Sign up takes less than 60 seconds and can help keep you and your family safe during an emergency."
See the latest weather watches, warnings and advisories here.
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