High water was reported on Core Road near the Worthington Golf Course Thursday after heavy rains hit the area early in the morning. (Photo by Brett Dunlap)

PARKERSBURG – Many people awoke to loud claps of thunder, flashes of lightning and the sound of heavy rain early Thursday morning as local cities dealt with high water, tree damage and more.

Parkersburg, Vienna, Belpre and portions of Wood County were affected by heavy rain as the National Weather Service in Charleston said the area received 1-3 inches of rain early Thursday morning with the heavier precipitation to the south of Parkersburg.

Wood County Emergency Services Director Sam Scalise said Thursday they had a number of stranded motorists along Lake Washington Road and Harris Highway, around the intersection of Interstate 77 and U.S. 50, and at Lakeview/Parkview Drive. He said people tried to drive through high water.

U.S. 50 around the I-77 interchange was closed down for a while in the morning, Scalise said adding there was high water at Core Road and Worthington Golf Course, as well as Parkview Drive/Lakeview Drive.

There were trees down in the Deerwalk area and trees on a power line in Waverly that caught on fire, as well as a power pole that came down on an unoccupied house on Bradford Avenue in Parkersburg. There were no major injuries or fatalities, he said.

“All the usual roads had high water,” Wood County Sheriff Rick Woodyard said. “I did not get any reports of any significant damage.”

Wood County Commission President Blair Couch said there was high water reported at Mountwood Park.

Some areas to the south received 3.5 inches of rainfall, National Weather Service Meteorologist Nick Webb said, adding the Mid-Ohio Valley Regional Airport to the northeast of Parkersburg reported having 1.82 inches.

The highest rainfall previously recorded for June 18 at the airport was 1.28 inches in 1932.

“That would be a record,” he said of Thursday’s rainfall.

The National Weather Service is forecasting sunny conditions today with a high near 78.

On Saturday, there will be a growing chance of rain with a 20% chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2 p.m., they reported. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph. It will be increasingly partly cloudy with a low around 59.

It is supposed to be mostly sunny on Sunday with a high of 82 and a chance of showers and thunderstorms by Sunday evening, then showers and possibly a thunderstorm after 2 a.m. and a low around 65 with an 80% chance of precipitation.

Showers will be likely Monday with the possibility of a thunderstorm and a high near 79, the Weather Service reported. It is expected to be mostly sunny Tuesday with a high near 78.

Webb said there is a possibility of an inch to an inch-and-a-half of rain from Sunday to Monday.

Most flood warnings are to the north and west in Vinton and Athens County, Ohio.

“We are not aware of any issues around (the Parkersburg) area as far as the rivers go,” Webb said.

There were reports of some flash flooding around the area on Thursday just prior to dawn, he said.

The Weather Service had reports of tree branches down in Vienna with one tree uprooted.

There were only minor issues reported around Marietta. A dispatcher with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office said most of the more severe weather activity was to the south.

Parkersburg Mayor Tom Joyce said the city had crews out early in the morning. Crews were dealing with some manholes that were lifted off their bases due to the water and had to be replaced.

“We had a handful, not a tremendous number, of trees down,” Joyce said. “Those were all remediated by about noon or 1 p.m.”

He also said there was high water along College Parkway and Core Road at the city limits.

“In most areas the water had receded by 9 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. in most locations,” Joyce said. “Considering the volume of rain that came through, things were pretty nominal compared to what it could have been.”

County radio traffic out of the Wood County 911 Center said the high water on Core Road had dissipated by 5 p.m. Thursday.

Vienna Mayor Chad Emrick said they had some minor tree damage in the city. A couple of trees that fell down by the Ohio River near the Minibel Golf Course. There was some water runoff issues in some neighborhood, but “nothing serious.”

Belpre Mayor Susan Abdella said the city received 3.6 inches of rain, based on measurements done at the Belpre Sewer Plant. The city has watched areas on Barclay Street, Lois Street, Elizabeth Street and Florence Street as well as other areas prone to high water, including around Belpre Elementary School. They had an issue of water going into a residence on Walnut Street.

An apartment building on Elm Street was flooded with seven or eight people displaced. The American Red Cross is currently helping those people.

“It came so fast, and there wasn’t anything we could really do about it,” Abdella said.

Crews were in Civitan Park Thursday pumping the standing water out in preparation for the Multi-Cultural Festival this weekend.

Contact Brett Dunlap at bdunlap@newsandsentinel.com