Wild Winds, Scattered Flooding Possible Wednesday, Thursday In OH

OHIO — Flooding and damaging winds could wreak havoc on parts of Ohio on Wednesday and Thursday, the National Weather Service warned.

Both a flood watch and wind advisory have been issued for most of northern Ohio. Residents should expect possible power outages, downed tree branches and overflowing rivers and creeks both days, according to forecasts.

Winds could hit 50 mph on Wednesday, the wind advisory cautioned. That could result in falling tree limbs, scattered power outages and other damage. Winds should start to calm at approximately 7 p.m., the National Weather Service said.

The region's flood watch will remain in place through Thursday night. As temperatures climb into the 50s, and stay there for nearly two days, much of the remaining snow in the region will melt off. Combine the snow melt with possible heavy rainfall, and the recipe for flooding is clear.

"The combination of rainfall and rapid snow melt are expected to cause significant rises on area creeks and rivers, with some waterways reaching flood stage. Ice jams may also develop on frozen waterways and could become focus areas for flooding," the National Weather Service warned.

Besides rivers and creeks, more urban settings could see flooding in areas of poor drainage, the agency said.

Flooding is possible in the following areas over the next two days: Ashland, Ashtabula Inland, Ashtabula Lakeshore, Crawford, Cuyahoga, Erie, Geauga, Hancock, Holmes, Huron, Knox, Lake, Lorain, Lucas, Mahoning, Marion, Medina, Morrow, Ottawa, Portage, Richland, Sandusky, Seneca, Stark, Summit, Trumbull, Wayne, Wood and Wyandot.

Just as the storms begin to calm and flooding subsides, northern Ohio will see a big swing in temperatures. Thursday's high is 52, but its projected low is 18. Light snow could fall Friday morning, according to current forecasts.