After days of heavy rain, some of Central Ohio’s rivers have begun surpassing their flood stages and inundating surrounding areas with water, according to the National Weather Service in Wilmington and NOAA.

The Scioto River in Circleville and Piketon is currently experiencing moderate flooding after the region saw almost 5 inches of rain over the past eight days, according to NWS and NOAA data.

The river is cresting at 20.54 feet, 5 and 1/2 feet over its flood stage. It likely won’t fall below its flood stage until late Wednesday evening or early Thursday morning, according to an NWS flood warning.

At these levels, flood waters will approach structures west of Circleville along Mill and Canal roads, and Island Road and State Route 762. Backwater flooding can be expected near Big Darby Creek, with flooding near the Scioto River junction with Little Walnut Creek at the nature preserve along U.S. Route 23. Backwater flooding along Hargus Creek will also flood some of Ted Lewis Park in Circleville, according to the NWS flood warning.

Closer to Columbus, The Big Darby Creek at Darbyville is currently experiencing minor flooding that will last until early Tuesday morning, according to NWS Wilmington. The river’s flood stage is 12 feet, currently cresting at 12.74 feet.

This will cause flooding in lowland areas in Franklin, Madison and Pickaway counties and flood portions of Darby Creek Road north of Darbyville, according to an NWS flood warning.

Will Columbus see any flooding?

Columbus has seemingly been spared significant river flooding as of Monday morning after seeing 3.92 inches of rain over the past eight days.

The Scioto River at Frank Road peaked at 22.39 feet Sunday morning, over a foot shy of its flood stage at 24 feet. It has since fallen to 18.68 feet and is predicted to continue doing so throughout the week.

The Olentangy River near Worthington peaked at 8.47 feet Saturday morning, over 2 feet shy of its 11-foot flood stage. The river currently sits at 3.09 feet.

While the rivers did not reach their flood stages in these locations, the rainfall has still impacted Columbus.

A Columbus Department of Public Utilities spokesman said Sunday afternoon that the city’s sewer maintenance operations center had received about 200 calls from residents reporting flooded basements, flooded streets, clogged storm drains and other rain-related problems.

Because of Scioto River flooding Saturday night on the Far South Side, the Ohio Department of Transportation shut down South High Street, which is also designated as Route 23, where it passes under Interstate 270.

Crews activated the Franklinton floodwall and installed floodgates just before 1 p.m. Saturday on Greenlawn and Harmon avenues. The wall was removed early Sunday evening.

What should you do during flooding?

The National Weather Service’s advice for when you encounter a flooded road is simple: “Turn around, don’t drown.”

Every year, more deaths are caused by flooding than any other thunderstorm hazard. Over half of all flood-related deaths happen when vehicles are driven into hazardous waters. The next highest percentage of deaths occur from people walking in or near flood waters, according to the NWS.

Just 6 inches of fast-moving water can knock over an adult, just 12 inches of rushing water is enough to sweep away cars, and just 2 feet is enough to carry away SUVs and trucks. If you ignore a flood barrier and drive around it, you may find that the road has collapsed under the weight of the water.

It is never safe to drive or walk into flood waters.

Breaking and Trending News Reporter Nathan Hart can be reached at [email protected] and at @NathanRHart on X and at nathanhart.dispatch.com on Bluesky.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Flood levels for central Ohio rivers: How high is the Scioto cresting?