Most of Ohio remains under a flood watch until Sunday as a “catastrophic” storm passed through parts of the Midwest overnight, and steady rain continues to highlight forecasts through the weekend.
At least 18,000 AEP Ohio customers remained without power early Thursday as a result of the overnight storm.
The flood watch includes at least 55 counties across southern, mid and northwestern Ohio.
In central Ohio, the 32 counties in the watch include: Adams, Auglaize, Brown, Butler, Champaign, Clark, Clermont, Clinton, Darke, Delaware, Fairfield, Fayette, Franklin, Greene, Hamilton, Hardin, Highland, Hocking, Licking, Logan, Madison, Mercer, Miami, Montgomery, Pickaway, Pike, Preble, Ross, Scioto, Shelby, Union and Warren.
“Another round of heavy rain and thunderstorms moves through the region Thursday evening into the overnight hours, continuing through Friday morning,” the National Weather Service in Wilmington said. “The primary concern will be flooding/flash flooding. Secondary concerns include river flooding and strong/damaging winds with some storms.”
The NWS had issued a tornado watch for Columbus and central Ohio as showers and thunderstorms moved in just before midnight Wednesday night and continued into early Thursday morning. Much of the strong sections of the storm system moved into Kentucky and West Virginia as of 5:30 a.m. Thursday.
Much of central Ohio was placed under the tornado watch by the NWS Wednesday night. Over two dozen other Ohio counties were placed under the watch as well. That watch expired for central Ohio at 4 a.m.
The tornado watch came as showers and thunderstorms entered central Ohio before midnight Wednesday and continued into early Thursday. The showers will contribute to a total estimated rainfall of between 4 and 6 inches in Columbus and central Ohio between Wednesday and Sunday, according to the National Weather Service.
A series of storms forecast to run through the area over that period will each bring anywhere from a quarter-inch to three-quarters of an inch of rain or more in some areas.
Over 18,000 AEP customers without power after storms
Over 18,000 AEP Ohio customers were without power as of 6:30 a.m. Thursday, according to a company outage map.
In Franklin County, 906 households were without power. Morgan County had the highest outages in the state, with 2,123 outages, about 26% of customers in the area.
Statewide, 18,136 customers were without power as of 6:30 a.m. out of 1,524,035 customers, according to AEP.
Storm debris closes two highways
Debris in the roadways closed lanes on two Central Ohio state routes Thursday morning.
As of 6:30 a.m., some lanes in both directions were closed on State Route 38 in Monroe Township near Rosedale-Milford Center Road due to tree debris on the roadway, according to ODOT.
State Route 310 was closed in both directions due to debris from utility lines on the roadway at Jug Street Road Northwest east of Alexandria in Licking County, according to ODOT.
Flooding also closed State Route 315 near downtown Columbus, but the road later reopened.
Reports: Tornadoes strike Cincinnati area
The Cincinnati Enquirer reports that the NWS in Wilmington confirmed through radar that a tornado touched down in northern Brown County and went into southeast Clinton County near the village of Lynchburg in Highland County.
Another struck in northeastern Clinton County near Sabina before moving into Fayette County.
‘Catastrophic’ and ‘historic’ storms batter Midwest, southern states
Several Midwest and southern states in the lower Ohio River valley were slammed by a “barrage of life-threatening weather hazards” from the storm front on Wednesday night, “including flash flooding and powerful tornadoes, according to guidance issued by the NWS. The weather agency warned that the catastrophic weather is “only the beginning of a multi-day, catastrophic and potentially historic heavy rainfall event” for some areas.
Ohio will be spared from the “potentially historic rainfall,” according to an NWS map. However, the lower Ohio River valley, which is comprised of Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Missouri, and a portion of Arkansas around where the Ohio River meets the Mississippi, is expected to be slammed by the storms and experience life-threatening levels of flooding, the NWS said. Some of those areas may see as much as 15 inches of rainfall through the weekend, the NWS predicts.
Earlier Wednesday, the NWS had warned of a storm moving through parts of central Ohio in the late morning that could bring winds up to 60 mph and half-dollar-sized hail. A Dispatch photographer observed pea-sized hail in northern Franklin County during the storm.
What’s the difference between a severe thunderstorm watch and a warning?
A severe thunderstorm watch is issued when severe thunderstorms are possible. The National Weather Service defines a severe thunderstorm as a storm with winds of 58 miles per hour or higher and/or hail one inch in diameter or larger.
A severe thunderstorm warning is issued when a storm is occurring or is imminent.
What’s the difference between a tornado watch and a warning?
The National Weather Service issues three levels of tornado alerts: watch, warning and emergency.
A tornado watch is the lowest level of severity and means tornadoes are possible. The conditions are there for possible tornadoes. Watches are usually large and can cover multiple counties or even states.
A tornado warning means a tornado has been spotted or is imminent based on weather radar in a small area. If a warning is issued for your area, you should seek shelter.
A tornado emergency indicates a tornado has touched down in a watch area and damage has been confirmed. Immediately seek shelter.
How to track power outages in central Ohio
AEP Ohio serves Columbus and most of Eastern and Southern Ohio. Customers can view its power outage map here. You can report a power outage online or by calling 800-672-2231.
As of 6:15 a.m., AEP Ohio was reporting less than 5,000 customers without power across central Ohio.
Columbus Division of Power customers can view an outage map here. DOP customers are encouraged to report outages not shown on the map by calling 614-645-7627.
FirstEnergy and its affiliates cover parts of Central Ohio to the north and west of Columbus. You can check FirstEnergy’s power outage map here. You can also report an outage online here or by phone at 888-544-4877.
Extended forecast for central Ohio: Rain, rain and more rain
Thursday night: There’s a 90% chance of showers and thunderstorms, then showers and possibly a thunderstorm after 8 p.m. Expect low temperatures of around 50. Northwest wind 5 to 7 mph becoming northeast after midnight. New rainfall amounts between three quarters and one inch possible.
Friday: Showers continue and high temperatures should hit the low 60s. Expect east winds of around 8 mph. The chance of precipitation is 80% with new rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Friday Night: The 80% chance for showers and thunderstorms continues into Friday night. Low around 56. East wind 6 to 8 mph. New rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.
Saturday: There’s a 90% chance of showers, with thunderstorms after 2 p.m. High temperatures near 72 degrees. New rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.
Saturday Night: 100% chance of showers and possibly a thunderstorm could produce heavy rainfall. Expect lows around 44. Chance of precipitation is 100%.
Sunday: Showers, mainly before 2 p.m. High near 51. Chance of precipitation is 80%.
Sunday Night: A chance of showers before 8 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 33. Chance of precipitation is 30%. The sun is expected to shine on Monday.
Breaking and Trending News Reporter Nathan Hart can be reached at NHart@dispatch.com and at @NathanRHart on X and at nathanhart.dispatch.com on Bluesky.
