CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The rain that flooded rivers, streams, and creeks areas of West Virginia the past week has decided to stick around for a while, starting Friday and lasting through Saturday.
The National Weather Service issued a flood warning Thursday for Barbour County at the Tygart Valley River in Belington and Philippi and for the Ohio River in Point Pleasant in Mason County.
National Weather Service Meteorologist Ray Young said flooding has been minor, but the constant rain will continue to impact the water levels in rivers. He said the next weather system could bring 1-2 inches of rain.
The system is pulling up out of the Gulf of Mexico and will be passing the northern part of West Virginia. Young said they are not ruling out other parts of the state.
“A lot of them (the rivers) still have haven’t gone below flood stage yet and we only got 24 hours, then we’ll be raining again,” said Young, “We’re expecting this new rain will cause Point Pleasant to briefly dip below flood stage and then go back above again depending on how much rain we get.”
Young said the rain could push some rivers in the northern part of the state and over into southeast Ohio back up to flood levels. Despite the continuous rainfall, Young said things are looking up, weather wise. Dryer skies are expected in the upcoming forecast after this system passes.