More flooding expected along Portage River, Lake Erie shoreline

Jon Stinchcomb
Port Clinton News Herald
A seagull floats along northern Madison Street, much of which was under water again this week due to several days of rain topping off already high lake levels.

ELMORE - Following several days of steady, and at times heavy, rain, more precipitation is being forecast and flooding could continue in areas along the Portage River and Lake Erie shoreline.

On Wednesday, the National Weather Service in Cleveland issued a flood warning for Ottawa County effective until 10:15 a.m. Thursday. The warning specifically cited Oak Harbor and Elmore as locations that will be experiencing flooding. 

The NWS also issued a flood warning through Friday night for the Portage River in Woodville in Sandusky County, with the river reported at 13 feet at 9 a.m. Wednesday with a flood stage of nine feet.

"Moderate flooding is occurring and major flooding is forecast," the weather service said, adding that Ohio 23 is inundated.

According to the NWS, shortly after 10 a.m. Wednesday reporting gauges on the Portage River at Elmore indicated the water level was at 11.1 feet and rising. 

The river is expected to continue rising further throughout the day and into Wednesday night as the upstream gauge at Woodville is anticipated to reach its “major” flood stage, the warning stated. 

In addition, the already high water levels of Lake Erie will also contribute to rising levels along the Portage River and lead to a combination of upstream river flooding and downstream lakeshore flooding.

More:Lake Erie water level woes expected to continue in 2020

The northern end of Madison Street along the mouth of the Portage River began this week flooded again after several days of rain topped off already high lake levels.

Significant flooding has already hit downtown Port Clinton this week, an area that has been plagued by Lake Erie’s record-high water levels for more than a year. 

On Monday night, flooding and high water led to road closures along Perry, Madison and Jefferson streets in Port Clinton. That came after a weekend of rain and intermittent thunderstorms, and one of the most prominent contributing factors, wind out of the northeast. 

According to the NWS, northeast winds blowing off of Lake Erie hit 10 to 15 mph on Saturday night and continued through Sunday. On top of that, waves of two to five feet continued ongoing shoreline erosion. 

Related news:Port Clinton eyes project to shore up city beach

The elevated wave action in combination with the high water levels of Lake Erie pushed water levels peaking between 75 and 80 inches above its low-water norm. 

The NWS has been regularly issuing lakeshore flood warnings when northeast winds hit, including Tuesday night through 10 p.m. Wednesday. 

Flooding is expected to continue impacting Port Clinton, the Lake Erie islands and locations north of the Toledo Harbor, with the potential for road closures and high water at low lying properties, such as parking lots, lawns, homes and businesses that are near the lake. 

Dig deeper:Port Clinton looks for funding to fix high water issues

A seagull rests in a bin on the north end of downtown Port Clinton along the Portage River, much of which was under water again this week due to several days of rain topping off already high lake levels.

jstinchcom@gannett.com 

419-680-4897 

Twitter: @JonDBN