Cliff Pinckard
cleveland.com
(TNS)
CLEVELAND, Ohio — Ten people were rescued Wednesday night from high water on a section of Interstate 90 as string of constant thunderstorms dumped as much as 4.5 inches of rain on parts of Northeast Ohio, causing widespread flooding that closed several other roads.
Lakewood Police Sgt. Ryan Lavelle said the flooding closed I-90 in both directions between Warren Road and McKinley Avenue just before 9 p.m. The Lakewood Fire Department, Westshore Swift Water Rescue Team, and the Westlake Fire Department pulled 10 people from seven cars that were stuck in high water, Lavelle said.
There were no reported injuries and the highway reopened at about 1:30 a.m. Thursday, Lavelle said.
There were numerous reports of flooding on roads throughout Cuyahoga County, including on Martin Luther King Boulevard and at underpasses on Interstate 480. Vehicles reportedly were stuck in high water in Parma and Brook Park.
The National Weather Service reported Wednesday night that the storms dropped 2.5 to 4.5 inches of rain in Northeast Ohio, particularly from Lakewood to Lorain. Another 1 to 2 inches were possible overnight.
The Weather Service said they have received reports of “considerable flooding” and that there were water rescues in Willoughby and Willowick in Lake County. Both sides of Ohio 2 in Willoughby between Lost Nation Road and Vine Street were covered with water as of 9 p.m., according to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
The sheriff’s office says there was flooding of properties along Trailard, Milann and Chagrin drives in Waite Hill. Riverside Drive and Riverside Boulevard in Eastlake also had flooding. The Chagrin River was expected to rise above flood stage in Eastlake at midnight before retreating late Thursday morning, the sheriff’s office says.
The Painesville Police Department reports flooding has closed off underpasses on North State Street and Richmond Street. Bishop Road in Willoughby Hills was closed at Curtiss Wright Parkway to Golf Way Lane in Highland Heights because of high water, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office says.
The Weather Service issued flash flood warnings Wednesday night for Geauga, Lake, and Medina counties and they will remain in effect until 1:45 a.m. Thursday. Flash flood warnings are in effect Cuyahoga County until 2:30 a.m., and in Medina, Summit, Stark, Ashland and Wayne counties until 4:15 a.m.
In Summit County, minor flooding was expected along the Cuyahoga River in Cuyahoga Falls and in Munroe Falls near Kennedy Park, the Weather Service says. In Lorain County, flooding was expected along the East Branch of the Black River on Foster Road in Penfield Township.
Up to 3 inches of rain had fallen in parts of Cuyahoga and Lake counties as of 9 p.m., according to the Weather Service. Another 1 to 2 inches were possible overnight.
There were reports of quarter-size hail and winds up to 60 mph from thunderstorms in Lorain, Medina, Erie, Huron, Ashland and Wayne counties.
A flood watch will remain in effect until 8 p.m. Thursday for Cuyahoga, Ashtabula, Geauga, Lake, Lorain, Mahoning, Medina, Portage, Summit and Trumbull counties.
The storms also were causing power outages in Northeast Ohio, especially in Lorain County, where more than 9,800 customers were without power as of 12:10 a.m. Thursday. There were 3,700 outages in Cuyahoga County and nearly 2,700 in Erie County.
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