A flood watch is in effect until Tuesday at 11 p.m. in a north central Ohio area that includes Richland, Ashland and Crawford counties, according to the National Weather Service office in Cleveland.
Multiple rounds of showers and storms will move across the area through this evening, according to the NWS.
Total rainfall amounts through this evening will range between 2 and 3 inches, including rainfall that fell Monday night and into Tuesday morning.
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Showers and thunderstorms are expected to redevelop Tuesday afternoon and evening. These storms may be severe, with damaging winds, large hail, and tornadoes possible.
Richland County EMA Director Rebecca Owens said NWS officials on Tuesday morning predicted most of the storm activity will occur between 4 and 8 p.m., though it may continue until midnight.
“It doesn’t sound like rain will be the major issue,” she said Tuesday afternoon. “It will be high winds, possible tornado activity and hail.”
Safest place to seek shelter in a tornado?
- Although there is no completely safe place during a tornado, some locations are safer than others. Safe places include a storm cellar, a basement, or an inside room without windows on the lowest floor (such as a bathroom, closet, or center hallway).
- If you live in a mobile home, identify a nearby building you can get to quickly. Don’t stay in a mobile home during a tornado. If you live in a tornado-prone area, encourage your mobile home community to build a tornado shelter.
The Mansfield City Council council meeting Tuesday evening has been postponed until April 16 due to the impending severe weather, according to council clerk Delaine Weiner.
North central Ohio residents can expect thunderstorm watches to be issued later today and this evening, which may change into warnings. Tornado watches may be issued that may also become warnings.
The strong storms are expected just two weeks after an F-2 tornado roared through northern Crawford and Richland counties, the third confirmed twister in Richland County in the last five years.
The tornado that roared through the rural area on March 14 was classified by the National Weather Service office in Cleveland as an F2 on the Fujita scale of tornado intensity. It damaged three homes in the area, though no injuries were reported, including residents and livestock.
The tornado initially touched down in northern Crawford County at 7:54 p.m. and traveled 10.3 miles in the next 19 minutes before lifting near the area of Willet and Opdyke roads.
Richland County residents can sign up for alerts through the county alert system that will send notifications for a variety of reasons, including weather, to their cell phone, work phone, text message, email and home phone.
(Photos from rivers in Shelby and Bellville on Tuesday morning taken by Hayden Gray and Brittany Schock.)
