CINCINNATI — The Ohio River wasn't supposed to hit action stage until Sunday — but all that changed Thursday as high amounts of rainfall rushed into the river.
The Ohio River rose to action stage early Friday morning.
The river went up 4.5 feet in less than 24 hours and that exceeded the forecast initially put out by the NWS.
So now, the river is expected to be even higher heading into next week. The crest is now expected around 45.9 feet, anticipated Monday around 8 a.m.
When the river rises to 44-45 feet, Riverbend is the main area that sees flooding.
There aren't any other big issues at this level. So as it stands right now, we shouldn't see big closures or issues along the Ohio River next week. At 47 feet, high water affects yards in California, and after that, at 48 feet, areas around Coney Island and Eldorado Street are typically impacted.
- River level forecasts can change as the water from all our recent rain makes it down into the Ohio River through tributaries and creeks that have already been causing flooding issues in their respective communities — like Millville.
Fortunately, we get a break from the rain for a bit on Friday. But it's just a break, because storms are slated to move through the Tri-State again on Saturday.
- If we see any big updates on the Ohio River, we will update this story.
