CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Heavy rain was driving up water levels in parts of central and southern West Virginia on Tuesday morning, with areas from Huntington through Charleston to Sutton and down into Mingo County and Wayne County taking the hardest hits.
“(We have) Numerous reports of road closures across many of the counties, even some high water rescues,” reported Dylan Cooper with the National Weather Service on Tuesday. “That’s the area that we’re really going to have to watch out for – for flooding concerns.”
By Tuesday morning, more than 1 in. of rain had fallen on already saturated areas and another inch was possible before the storm system moved out of West Virginia late Tuesday.
In isolated areas, more than 2 in. of rain was a possibility during the storm.
Meteorologists said the greatest flooding threats were in low-lying areas, especially along roads adjacent to creeks and streams. “It’s mostly small stream and highways (flooding), but we are watching the rivers start to come up across the area,” Cooper said on Tuesday morning.
The following counties were under Flood Warnings at varying times on Tuesday:
Pocahontas, Nicholas, Randolph, Braxton, Barbour, Webster, Upshur, Lewis, Raleigh, Nicholas, Mingo, Logan, Lincoln, Fayette, Clay, Boone, Wyoming, Webster, Wayne, Putnam, Mason, Jackson, Gilmer, Calhoun, Kanawha, Cabell and Roane.
Flood Watches were in effect in other counties.
Schools in Roane County and Lincoln County were closed because of high water on Tuesday.
“I hate to say such a thing, but it’s typical West Virginia spring weather,” said Francis Holton, emergency planner for the Lincoln County Office of Emergency Services.
When he talked with MetroNews on Tuesday morning, Holton admitted he was “a little nervous” about the rain that was on the way. “That’s the big thing, there is uncertainty there and uncertainty is not good,” he said.
Crews with Mon Power and Appalachian Power were working to restore power to more than 2,000 homes and businesses as of Tuesday morning.
The chance for more rain will continue through the rest of the week across the Mountain State, according to the National Weather Service.