SIDNEY — As rain continued to fall during the weekend, the National Weather Service (NWS) in Wilmington issued a flood warning for the Great Miami River at Sidney from Sunday afternoon to late Tuesday night.
The NWS said the river was at 8.6 feet at 9 a.m. Sunday; flood stage is 10 feet. Minor flooding is forecast. The NWS predicted the river would rise above flood stage by late Sunday afternoon and would rise to near 11.3 feet by early Tuesday morning. The river will fall below flood stage late Tuesday night.
At stages near 10 feet, the river approaches the bank on the west side of Custenborder Field. At stages above 10 feet, city officials begin flood operations, the NWS said.
According to the city of Sidney’s flood action plan, at a river level of 11.1 feet, minor flooding will occur. At this river level, water is moving at a flow rate of 63,472 gallons per second. The river breaches the bank on the west side of Custenborder Field near the raw water pump station.
According to data on the city of Sidney website from the North Street gauging station, the river level was at 9.7 feet as of 4:30 p.m.
High water also was reported at numerous locations in the county. According to reports received Sunday by the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, high water was reported in the 1000 block of Miami River Road, the 10000 block of Schenk Road, the intersection of Colby at Fessler-Buxton roads, the 1000 block of Miami Conservancy Road, and the intersection of Kuther and Russell roads.
The NWS warned motorists to be careful: “Do not drive your car through flooded roadways. The water depth may be deeper than it appears.”
Luke Gronneberg | Sidney Daily News
