Snow followed by rain causes flooding problems in Uniontown, Greene
Flood waters reached knee-level in the area of North Beeson Boulevard in Uniontown Tuesday afternoon.
Michael Palm | 蘑菇视频
Flooding begins on Iowa Street in Uniontown on Tuesday as a few inches of rain fell overnight and throughout the day.
Submitted photo
The Fayette County Community Action Agency closed early Tuesday afternoon as flood waters reached several feet in the area of North Beeson Boulevard and other parts of Uniontown.
Submitted photo
A truck attempts to traverse flood waters in Uniontown near North Beeson Boulevard Tuesday afternoon.
Submitted photo
A car encounters high waters on North Beeson Boulevard in Uniontown on Tuesday afternoon.
Submitted photo
Floodwaters rose near the Fayette County Community Action Agency Tuesday afternoon, causing the agency to close early and Greene County schools to send students home for early dismissals.
Snowfall Monday followed by rain Tuesday caused rivers to rise, leading to problems in Uniontown and Greene County.
Several schools and businesses closed early for flooding.
鈥淲e鈥檙e in that transitional season where we can get thunderstorms and we can also get snow, like we saw yesterday,鈥� said National Weather Service Meteorologist Tim Axford. 鈥淚t蘑菇视频 just the combination of the two that蘑菇视频 leading to the issues.鈥�
He said about half an inch to one inch of rain fell in the region, causing the local waterways to rise shortly after Monday蘑菇视频 snow melted. A break in the rain was forecast between about 5 and 6 p.m. Tuesday, followed by thunderstorms at about 10 p.m. with an additional half inch to inch of rain. The National Weather Service issued a flash flood watch until 2 a.m. Wednesday for Washington, Greene, Westmoreland, Fayette and surrounding counties and a flood warning for Fayette and Greene counties until 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.
He said there were not concerns for major widespread flooding.
A Fayette County 911 supervisor said they had received about six or seven flood-related calls by Tuesday afternoon, mainly concentrated to downtown Uniontown, near the Uniontown Post Office and Cinder Road. The calls were for roadway flooding and flooded basements. No injuries were reported.
Keeley Forrestel of Fayette County Community Action Agency said the organization closed early for the safety of clients and employees when the waters began to rise at about noon.
鈥淭he water was up to my knees,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t was a few feet high in some areas.鈥�
Westmoreland County Community College蘑菇视频 Fayette center, located in the community action building, also closed early for flooding.
Forrestel said there are plans to check on any damage Tuesday morning, but believes damage is unlikely. The agency took steps to mitigate flooding problems after past floods, she said. Some water came into the food bank, where the floors are designed to withstand water, and shelves and a freezer are placed high from the ground. Vehicles are kept at higher ground, she said.
鈥淲e have experienced this many times, so we know how to prevent the effects of flooding,鈥� she said. 鈥淗opefully, it doesn鈥檛 get too bad this time.鈥�
Carmichaels Area, Central Greene, Jefferson-Morgan and West Greene school districts in Greene County closed early Tuesday for flooding.