Weather forecaster predicts heavy rains as Katrina passes through
Weather forecasters are predicting the possibility of heavy rains and flash flooding as the leftovers of Hurricane Katrina, which battered the Gulf Coast Monday, rumbles across the region today. The remnants of the massive storm, which has left Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana in ruins pushed through the Ohio Valley Tuesday spawning pockets of heavy rain as well as gusty winds.
The National Weather Service is predicting between 2-4 inches of rain could deluge the district in a 24-hour period that ends this morning.
And forecasters are predicting sustained winds of 35 miles-an-hour as the storm barrels through the state, with gusts registering late Tuesday as high as 45 miles-an-hour.
National Weather Service Meteorologist Lee Hendrix said the storm should produce fairly evenly distributed and any flooding that does occur should be localized.
“Right now we are looking at the classic flood prone areas as possibilities, but there should not be district-wide flooding and nothing as bad as Ivan.”
Hendrix said Hurricane Ivan, which blasted through the region in Sept. 2004, just nine days after Hurricane Frances dumped about four inches of rain on the tri-state area, dumped as much as 11 inches of rain causing major flooding across southwestern Pennsylvania.
“This is not even as bad as Frances,” Hendrix said, noting that the storm is traveling quickly, cutting down the potential for sustained rains and reducing the risk of flooding.
Still county emergency officials from Fayette, Greene and Washington counties were preparing for the worst as Katrina bared down Tuesday.
Fayette County Emergency Management spokeswoman, Susan Griffith held a conference call with the National Weather Service and the State Emergency Management Agency Monday afternoon to discuss the possibilities the storm presented.
In Washington County, EMA director Jeff Yates said because any storms Katrina pushes toward the area are predicted to be “spread out,” the chances of flash flooding decrease.
According to state Department of Transportation spokesman Jay Ofsanik, PennDOT was also gearing up Tuesday for the possibility of flooding roadways and mudslides with district managers watching prone areas closely and on-call personnel ready to respond.
And Allegheny Power said it was also preparing for potential power outages associated with the storm, adding on-call staff across the region to respond in case of an outage.
Allegheny officials reminded area residents to turn off all major electrical equipment and appliances like water heaters and stoves and to unplug other household appliance such as televisions and microwaves, should power be lost.
According to the state, disaster supplies should include: flashlights and extra batteries; a portable, battery-operated radio; a first-aid kit and manual; emergency food and water, a non-electronic can opener; essential medicines and prescriptions; cash, credit cards and important legal documents (including flood insurance policy); and sturdy shoes.
The agency also advises developing an emergency communication plan in case family members are separated, asking an out-of-town relative or friend to act as the family contact and teach children how to call 911.
Editor’s note: Herald-Standard staff writer Amanda Clegg contributed to this report.