What a stressful and expensive situation we have on our hands. The Ohio River is raging along pushing billions of gallons of water into places that don't want it. Based on the current forecast, it will come up 2 more feet reaching a crest of 37.0' at 8 am Wednesday. That blows the 2018 crest out of the water, pun intended, and puts it up to the 8th highest crest on record for the McAlpine Upper! It rivals the flood back in 1997 which peaked at 38.76'. If you do the math, that's the worst river flooding we've experienced in 28 years. The term "historic" absolutely applies.Â
The McAlpine Lower will experience its 11th highest crest on record when it reaches 68.5' at 2 a.m. early Wednesday morning.Â
Clifty Creek should expect another foot of water before the Ohio crests at 458.5' Tuesday p.m.Â
Finally, the crest at Cannelton Lock will happen Thursday at 8 a.m. rising 3 more feet to 52.0'.Â
Just to be clear, it's going to take a long time until the Ohio goes back into its banks. I wouldn't expect that to happen until the early or middle part of next week. After that, the cleanup effort begins. Now the last thing you want to hear is that we have more rain on the way. On average, .25 - .50" of rain could fall Wednesday night through Friday morning. If you get caught in a storm, that number may end up closer to .75". That certainly isn't enough to cause a secondary crest or contribute to any major problems, but it will just prolong the receding process. At the end of the day, it just adds insult to injury and I hope everyone is avoiding flooded roads at all cost. Â
