Heavy rains cause flooding in the region
Heavy rains swept through the region Thursday night into Friday morning, leading to road closures and school delays or cancellations.
According to the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh, between 1 1/2 inches and 2 1/2 inches of rain fell in Washington County during a six- to 12-hour period yesterday. In Greene County, rain totals were between 1 1/2 inch to 2 inches, while Fayette County saw up to 1 1/2 inches during that span.
“When we’re looking at flooding, particularly during March, it doesn’t take as much rain to cause an issue, but 2 1/2 (inches) can give us an issue most times of the year,” said NWS Pittsburgh meteorologist Colton Milcarek.
One-inch sized hail was recorded in Washington County, where flood warnings remained in effect Friday morning, Milcarek said.
“Just a reminder that if you encounter flooded roadways, don’t drive into the water,” said Milcarek.
Fayette and Greene counties had some rain-related damage, according to emergency management personnel.
There was a partial collapse on White Road in Saltlick Township, Fayette County, but the road has since been opened to one lane.
In Greene County, a driver got caught on a flooded roadway near Nineveh in Morris Township and had to be rescued by the fire department. There was also a lane restriction on Carmichaels Road in Cumberland Township.
Washington County had more severe damage.
The storms caused a landslide above Villas on the Green in South Strabane Township, damaging a home on Golf Course Drive in the housing development.
Jim Kashery, president of the Villas’ homeowners association, said they had been preparing for the possibility of the hillside collapsing.
“Several days ago we had a small mud slide up from the top of the hill, and I had our landscaping company, Mow, Mulch and More, come in,” Kashery said. “They were cleaning up the mud … Had them dump some gravel up there to try to prevent this big slide, and they were going to drive some steel beams in and try to prevent this hill from sliding anymore. Last night it got too bad, and it just took out everything.”
Kashery received a call from the homeowner at about 2:30 a.m. Friday about the landslide. Though there were no injuries, the inside of the home had water damage.
“On the inside, the hardwood floor is ruined. A tree (which fell due to the landslide) went through the window,” Kashery said.
The state Department of Transportation closed Locust Avenue between Hudack Hill and Interstate 79 to repair the damage, said Melissa Maczko, press officer for PennDOT District 12.
The storms also led to significant flooding at the Chartiers-Houston girls softball field. Students in the district had a remote learning day, as did students in West Greene School District in Greene County, while Peters Township School District closed for the day.
Canon-McMillan, McGuffey and Trinity school districts each operated on two hour delays.
As of 9 a.m. Friday, PennDOT listed the following roads as closed:
Greene County
-Route 18 in Franklin and Morris townships on Water Dam Road
-Route 21 in Center Township, between Covered Bridge Road/Scott Run Road and West Run Road
-Aleppo Road in Richhill Township, between Veterans Road and Buckland Road
-Carmichaels Road/Muddy Creek Road in Cumberland Township, between Jackson Lane and Muddy Creek Road
Washington County
– Route 481 in Carroll Township and the City of Monongahela, between Van Vorrhis Lane and Park Way
-Wherry/Vanceville/Almond Road in Ellsworth and Somerset Township, between Main Street and Wherry Road
– Plumsock/Ten Mile/Hackney Station Road in Amwell and West Bethlehem townships, between Hufford Run Road and Little Creek Road
-Grange/Van Vorrhis/Hazlekirk/Bentleyville roads in Fallowfield Township, between Malmgren Road and Rosena Road
-Little Creek Road in Amwell and West Bethlehem townships, between Highland Ridge Road and Fisher Hollow Road