Radio You Need To Know
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Hurricane Helene remnants cause flooding and power outages in Ohio. No injuries reported.

A map color-coded in green and yellow shows the Ohio River Valley region and the rainfall totals from Hurricane Helene in September 2024.
National Weather Service in Wilmington
Hurricane Helene's remnants dumped several inches of rain in Ohio in late September causing flooding in the southern parts of Ohio.

The remnants of Hurricane Helene blew through Ohio this weekend dumping several inches of rain, which caused some flooding.

Ohio Emergency Management Agency spokeswoman Sandy Mackey said there were no injuries or fatalities in Ohio. The National Weather Service in Wilmington reports that a swath of central and south Ohio got rainfall totals between one and seven inches.

A billboard stating "Hell is Real," located on I-71 south of Columbus, was not a casualty of the storms despite some social media reports claiming high winds ripped up the billboard.

Mackey said there were reports of some tornadoes and flooding in southern Ohio.

"Specifically the flooding in the corridor from Portsmouth to Chillicothe. I mean, they had close to five inches of rain. You know, for the most part, the water there is receding, but the cleanup will continue for some time," Mackey said.

Gov. Mike DeWine visited parts of southern Ohio after the storms to assess the damage.

Mackey said as the water recedes, the full impact of the severe weather will become known.

On Monday, Scioto County commissioners declared an emergency because of high winds and flooding and asked the state for help. Scioto County is home to Portsmouth.

NWS did issue multiple tornado warnings in the region, including in Preble and Ross counties. It is not confirmed yet if any tornadoes touched down in the area.

Electric companies, including AEP Ohio and Duke Energy, reported thousands of power outages. The electric companies report most of the outages have been resolved.

Franklin County Emergency Management and Homeland Security spokeswoman Kelly McGuire said the county had about 18,000 outages. About 5,000 outages remain, but it's unknown if those were related to the storm.

McGuire said damage was limited to downed tree branches and power lines. She said the fallen tree limbs were limited to private property.

George Shillcock is a reporter for 89.7 NPR News. He joined the WOSU newsroom in April 2023 following three years as a reporter in Iowa with the USA Today Network.