Tuesday forecast could cause county flooding issues

• The county was still under a Level 1 Snow Emergency as of 9 p.m. Sunday
• A high of 44 is forecast for Tuesday. Wednesday calls for a 40 percent chance of snow.

NEWARK – Heavy rain forecast for Tuesday, on top of the snow which fell Sunday, could cause some flooding problems in a couple of days for Licking County.

“We do anticipate that this could be an issue,” said meteorologist Andrew Hatzos, with the National Weather Service in Wilmington. “There could be as much as an inch to inch and a half of rain (Tuesday). Put that on top of the new snow that just fell, the melting snow and the warmer temperatures, and there could be a lot of water.”

Snow began falling overnight in Licking County and continued into early Sunday afternoon. According to the National Weather Service, the total stood at 5 inches in Newark about 4 p.m. and about 4 inches in Heath.

The county was still under a Level 1 Snow Emergency as of 9 p.m. Sunday, according to the Licking County Sheriff’s Office. However, local law enforcement agencies reported no major accidents or problems with the weather.

“Overall, the 4 to 5 inches in that area was pretty much what was expected,” Hatzos said. “Some areas west and northwest of Columbus did get 6 to 8 inches, which a little more than what was in the forecast.”

The snow changed over to rain for a little while Sunday, combining to help clear the roads along with the rising temperatures. Some more light snow fell after 4 p.m., which caused a few problems.

The Ohio Highway Patrol handled two accidents around the same time on Interstate 70, but neither involved transports to the hospital.

The first occurred at mile marker 135 westbound at 5:32 p.m. and involved two vehicles. People were entrapped in one of the cars but safely removed with no serious injuries. Another accident happened at 5:50 p.m. at mile marker 136 eastbound, but there were no injuries.

A highway patrol dispatcher said roads were still slick in spots.

“There’s frost in some areas, but if you go slow, you should be fine,” she said.

A Licking County Sheriff’s Office dispatcher said road crews had been sent out to a few problem areas. “But nothing major,” she said.

Their patrol handled an accident on Dayton Road at Butler Road NE about 7 p.m., but no one was taken to the hospital.

The start to Tuesday could be something to keep an eye on, Hatzos said. Monday calls for sunny skies with a high in the low 30s.

“There could be an early period of freezing rain Tuesday, before the temperatures warm up and it switches over to rain, ” Hatzos said. “But we don’t think it will be a major event.”

A high of 44 is forecast for Tuesday. Wednesday calls for a 40 percent chance of snow in the afternoon.

dweidig@newarkadvocate.com

740-328-8557

Twitter: @noz75