The Miami Valley region is under a flood watch until 10 a.m. Sunday, and strong winds are possible that could down trees and knock out power to local residents.
A good chunk of the region has a “marginal risk” for severe weather, including near U.S. 36 north of Troy and the area stretching from the city of Dayton to Xenia and Springfield, said McCall Vrydaghs, WHIO-TV meteorologist.
“There are concerns of damaging winds and the threat for flooding,” she said.
The areas most prone to this flooding will be along creeks and streams and low-lying properties, she said.
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There are a few locations along the Great Miami river that are at risk as well, including Troy and Sidney, where some roads close by may be overtaken by water, Vrydaghs said.
“Both of these locations are projected to reach their crest stage (highest water level) Sunday afternoon before receding,” she said.
The ground is saturated from recent rainfall, meaning more rain could flood people’s basements and overrun storm sewer systems.
There could be between 1 to 2 inches of rainfall in the next 12 to 24 hours, Vrydaghs said.
At 12:30 p.m. today, the river level at Dayton was about five feet above normal for this time of year, said Brenda Gibson, public relations manager for the Miami Conservancy District.
The Englewood dam is the only one of the five dry dams that is currently storing water in the system, but all would go into storage if there is 1 and a half to 2 inches of rain, she said.
But Gibson said they do not anticipate any flooding in the area’s protected by the district’s dams and levies because the system is designed to handle the 1913 Great Flood, plus 40 percent more water.
“The system we have of dams and levies is designed to handle about 14 inches in 72 hours,” she said. “This could be a medium-sized event, depending on what happens.”
There also could be strong wind gusts tonight, reaching speeds of between 40 to 50 mph, which could lead to downed electric lines and sporadic power outages.
Rain and thunderstorms may start to develop around 7 or 8 tonight, and they are expected to ramp up past the 9 p.m. hour.
The rain looks to start tapering by 11 p.m., but the most intense winds may move in right around that time.
Showers are expected to come to an end by 5:30 a.m., Sunday as the cold front passes on.
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