BY JOE WESSELS
Loveland Local News
LOVELAND, Ohio — There are flood warnings up and down the Little Miami River today after torrential rains Friday evening into Saturday morning caused the river to creep into nearby land and roadways.
Flooding along the Little Miami River near Loveland, Ohio. This photo was taken at the Cincinnati Chapter of the Izaak Walton Leauge of America in Miami Township. There is a picnic table in the foreground. 
Flooding along the Little Miami River near Loveland, Ohio. This photo was taken on East Kemper Road in Symmes Township near the border with the city of Loveland. E. Kemper Road at Victor Avenue and Riverside Drive at Park Avenue are closed in both directions because of flooding. 
Flooding along the Little Miami River near Loveland, Ohio. This photo was taken along Cones Road near the Hamilton Township border with Loveland just as a Loveland Police officer was assessing the situation. A cyclist wades through water. Shortly after, the officer closed the roadway. 
Flooding along the Little Miami River near Loveland, Ohio. This photo was taken along Cones Road in Hamilton Township. A cyclist decided to try his luck wading through the water. He made it through and came back a few minutes later. He said the water was about a foot deep. 
Flooding along the Little Miami River near Loveland, Ohio. This photo was taken along Cones Road in Hamilton Township on the border with Loveland next to the Little Miami Scenic Trail. A motorist in the background opts to turnaround. Another decided to wade through water. A Loveland Police officer shut down the roadway shortly after this photo was taken. 
Flooding along the Little Miami River in Loveland, Ohio. This photo was taken next to Loveland Canoe & Kayak. Workers were preparing to move equipment out from the first floor because of expected flooding.
The Loveland Police Department has set up barriers in downtown Loveland the train bridge over Karl Brown Way and Broadway Street near Loveland Canoe & Kayak. Cones Road, which runs parallel to the Little Miami and often floods during similar conditions, was open, and some motorists and one bicyclist were chosen to wade through, closed will a reporter was on-scene. A Loveland Police officer closed the road with cones at the Lyon and Maple avenues fork near Second Street.
East Kemper Road in Symmes Township near the border with the city of Loveland at Victor Avenue was and Riverside Drive at Park Avenue in both directions because of flooding.
The National Weather Service gauge downriver from Loveland was at 16.5 feet at 10:30 Saturday morning. Flood stage is 17 feet and the weather service is calling for minor flooding as a result. The river will crest above flood stage – forecast to be a little over 20 feet – this evening and be back under flood stage by Sunday morning, forecasters said.
Weather service officials expect low-lying areas around Milford and Terrace Park to be the most impacted, including portions of Round Bottom Road in Anderson Township.
Some damage was reported to officials throughout last evening into the overnight and again this morning, according to the Weather Service’s Wilmington, Ohio office near the Wilmington Air Park. That office does weather forecasting, watches and warning for the entire Cincinnati, Dayton, Columbus, Lexington and Louisville regions, including southern Ohio.
Upriver from Loveland, the weather service’s Kings Mills flood gauge put the river at 19.4 feet, nearly 2.5 feet above flood stage. Minor flooding is occurring and that is not expected to worsen. Meteorologists with the weather service predict the Kings Mills location will reach 19.8 feet this Saturday evening and then drift below flood stage by the end of the day. With this low-level flooding, Turtle Creek in South Lebanon will flood and Broadway, McKinley and Pike streets in South Lebanon will likely be overrun in water.
Showers are likely this afternoon in Loveland with a high near 85. About a quarter- to a half-inch of additional rain is likely. Tonight, rain chances continue with mostly cloudy skies, and the low getting down to 68. To see the forecast from the National Weather Service for Loveland, CLICK HERE.
As always, the weather service warns motorists to turnaround and not drown.
Last Updated on October 29, 2021 by Joe Wessels
