Oak Hill, WV (WOAY-TV): Just one day after Governor Justice declared a State of Emergency for several counties closer to the I-70 nine corridor, our region here in southern West Virginia got a healthy dose of heavy rain.
As a matter of fact, 3 to 5 inches of rain triggered the Meadow River behind me to come very close to flood stage on day two of this flooding event in West Virginia.
The downpours late Monday triggered scattered flooding in the northern part of Fayette County and the Nicholas County.
Water was running off the hillsides across the roadway and that’s the common theme with this particular weather system as it crosses the region through early Wednesday. The rain on Monday night even overwhelmed small streams such as this one behind me. And the end result, water pouring over Wilderness Highway.
Check out the gauge at Meadows River. It went from 3 to 7 feet when heavy rain pushed through Monday night. Five inches of rain fell in a short period of time. And that triggered the flooding that you are seeing. And we will continue to follow the flooding trends as they develop through the late evening and early Wednesday timeframe.
Remember, when you approach a roadway that has flooded waters across it, turn around, don’t drown. The water is usually deeper than what it appears.
Chief Meteorologist Chad Merrill’s Latest forecast calls for pockets of heavy rain tonight before high pressure brings a stretch of dry weather:
