Warming temperatures, rain brings potential for flooding

Warming temperatures, melting snow, and rain in the forecast this week raises the potential of high water and flooding in the Miami Valley.

The Mad and Great Miami Rivers meet at Deeds Point, located in Dayton, and flood protection experts say that they expect river levels to come up as much as four feet by this weekend.

Mike Ekberg with the Miami Conservancy District explained how warmer temperatures and melting snow can be an issue.

“The snow that’s on the ground right now if you melted it all out, it’d be the equivalent of about an inch of rainfall,” said Ekberg.

With more rain in the forecast, the Miami Conservancy District will be keeping a close eye on water levels along the Great Miami River.

The agency has been making sure that downtown and riverfront communities don’t flood for almost 100 years, and has been providing flood protection up and down the Miami all the way from Sidney to Hamilton.

Ekberg said the forecast shows that there is a low chance the river will come up high enough to where crews will have to close flood gates along the riverfront in cities like Dayton and Miamisburg, but Miami Conservancy Crews are still prepared if more than expected rain occurs.

“Our staff are out doing what they’re doing, watching the river levels and we’re ready for another round, late winter, early spring round of wet weather,” said Ekberg.

Ekberg said they will be keeping an even closer eye on the great Miami River after this weekend as the wet season, late winter and early springtime, brings the most high water events for the year.

Cox Media Group