After the Freeze – Floods in USA

Some areas of USA have experienced flooding over the weekend. As expected, melting snow, rainfall, ice jams, burst pipes and water mains (City of Tulsa alone reported as many as 70 water main breaks) and drainage areas blocked by ice all contributed to incidents of flooding across the region.

In the north, rain and snow melt has caused river and stream levels to rise, which in some cases has caused ice jams. Heavy rainfall has led tom some flooding in southern states, including Florida where 2 people have died.

New York State

An ice jam along the Sauquoit Creek was reported in Whitesboro, causing some concern to local residents who have experienced 3 severe floods there in the past.

Ice jams were also causing problems around Fall Creek, where city streets were unudated with flood water. The city’s Department of Public Works and emergency personnel managed to break up the ice jam by Sunday evening and the flood waters have begun to recede.

Buffalo Creek flooded the Lexington Green area of West Seneca on Saturday 11 January. Roads were inundated and 70 or more houses damaged.

Local media also reported some minor flooding in Chemung County and also across the Canisteo River basin in Steuben County.

Vermont

An ice jam in the Winooski River threatened to flood the city of Montpelier. Emergency teams were working on breaking the ice jam.

Rain flooded some roads in other areas of Vermont, including Route 2 in Jonesville and Route 128 in Essex.

Ohio

Around 20 families were evacuated from their homes in Rocky River after flooding there over the weekend.

Elsewhere, some minor flooding was occurring along parts of the Sandusky River because of the ice jams. There was also flooding in Fremont and in southern Wyandot County.

The National Weather Service issued a hazardous weather outlook notice on Sunday for several areas of Ohio, northern Indiana and southwest Michigan.

Florida

FoodList reported the flooding incident in St Lucie County and Palm Beach County on Friday 10 January.

Since then 2 people have died as a result of the flooding in Palm Beach County, Florida. Flooding worsened over the weekend and around 20 families were evacuated from their homes in Fort Pierce.

The worst of the rain is now thought to be over and the flood waters should begin to recede.

North Carolina

North Carolina has seen some severe thunderstorms over the weekend, bringing floods to the Charlotte region. Creeks and streams in the area were at or near full levels early Saturday afternoon, and some roads reportedly flooded. There was also one fatal car crash as a result of the severe weather.

Alabama

Around 3 inches (7cm) of rain in a short period on 10 January led to flooding in Alabaster. The flooding was short lived and the flood waters soon receded.

Tennessee

6 people were evacuated on Saturday 11 January in Gatlinburg after flooding in the Medlin Addition Neighborhood. Snow-melt and rainfall caused West Prong Bird Creek to flood