CINCINNATI — On Friday morning, the Ohio River at Cincinnati rose to 45 feet after it briefly dropped to 43 feet Thursday night. In Cincinnati, the river is still in the "action" flood category. At this level, The PNC Pavillion gets flooded. The "minor" flood category is 52 feet.
The Ohio River at Cincinnati is projected to hit 51 feet by Tuesday morning. At this level, parts of Kellogg Avenue from Delta Avenue near Coney Island to Eight Mile Road, begin to flood. Public landing gets flooded along with Riverside Park on River Road. Water will also get close to buildings in California, Ohio.
High water in February is not unsual for this time of the year. Julia Reed, a meteorologist and hydrologist with the National Weather Service in Wilmington said this is peak flood season. She said the flood season usually starts in January and goes to about April or May.
Reed explained the sleet from weeks ago and the recent rainfall have added to waterways across the Tri-State. Sleet also has more water content than snow, which added even more water to the already saturated soil.
The flood season is not over, explained Reed.
"We are looking at a pretty active spring with the Ohio Valley expecting to be kind of wet during the month of March. So, a lot of people in the area are used to March flooding. So, we are expecting this year to be a little bit more active than the last year in 2021," said Reed.
Other waterways:
The Ohio River at Maysville is expected to crest in the "action" stage at 48.2 feet by Monday evening.
The Ohio Brush Creek near West Union is currently in the "action" stage but is expected to fall dramatically over the weekend.
The Licking River in Robertson County will hit the "action" stage by Friday afternoon. It is expected to crest at 22.9 feet and will fall early next week.
The Great Miami River at Miamitown will crest in the "action" stage at 15.4 feet by Friday afternoon. It will fall quickly at the beginning of next week.
The Great Miami River at Middletown has crested in the "action" stage at 9.87 feet. It will continue to fall throughout the weekend.
