Consistent thunderstorms cause flooding

Mat Hudson of Point Place works on clearing a drain on the flooded 12 hole of the Toledo Country Club in South Toledo.

Day after day of rain on rain over waterlogged northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan prompted flood warnings and placed farmers’ hopes for even a decent season further out of reach.

Parking lots became water hazards. Rural fields resembled the start of rectangular ponds.

“That’s why this used to be the Black Swamp,” said Alan Sundermeier, extension education for Ohio State University extension in Wood County. “We have good drainage systems, but that water has to move out for drainage to occur.”

After rainy weather Wednesday and Thursday, The National Weather Service issued flood warnings that are still in effect for the Maumee River at Waterville and near Grand Rapids; the Blanchard River near Findlay; and the Portage River at Woodville.

High water caused numerous road closings, including East Main Cross Street under the Osborn Avenue bridge and at South Blanchard Street in Findlay. The Bowling Green post of the Ohio Highway Patrol reported that State Rt. 2 in Williams County was closed because of high water at Blosser Road and close to the Indiana line.

The Wood County sheriff’s office Thursday night reported Greensburg Pike was closed between the South Dixie Highway and Rudolph Road. Also closed were State Rt. 281 between Brillheart and Range Line roads, and Wapakoneta Road between Euler and Sand Ridge roads, and Sand Ridge between Wapakoneta and the Henry County line.

The Ohio Department of Transportation office in Bowling Green reported the closings of U.S. 224 between State Rt. 67 and Seneca County Road 17; of State Rt. 19 between Sandusky County Road 153 and Township Road 83, and State Rt. 105 between U. S. 23 and Township Road 139 in Ottawa County.

A slow-moving line of storms about 3:45 p.m. Thursday from Sherwood to Hicksville, Ohio, caused the National Weather Service in northern Indiana to post flash flood warnings for parts of Defiance County plus Henry, Fulton, and Williams counties.

“We just had a pretty good storm move through here. The last thing we need is more rain,” said Justin Thompson, Fulton County emergency management director. The county was under a flash flood warning until 6 p.m.

“We have a lot of water sitting, but we’re not really flooded per se yet,” Mr. Thompson said. “Thankfully we don’t have a whole lot of major roads that have low spots in them.”

In a 48-hour period ended at about 5:20 p.m. Thursday, Defiance Memorial Airport received 4.51 inches of rain.