Pa., N.J. and Ohio are under flood watch

DAN NEPHIN Associated Press Writer

SUTERSVILLE, Pa. — Just weeks after dealing with record-setting snowfall, residents in Pennsylvania, Ohio and New Jersey are preparing for the possibility of flooding.

A large portion of Pennsylvania and all of New Jersey is under a flood watch. Parts of Ohio, along the Ohio River, is under a watch, too, with the threat of heavy rain combining with melting snowpack.

A forecast of warm weather and several days of rain will cause deep snow in the mountains to melt, according to the National Weather Service.

Flooding in Pittsburgh could begin tonight, and the Ohio River in the city is expected to crest about two feet above flood stage on Sunday afternoon, according to the NWS.

Emergency management officials in the Pittsburgh region had warned of the possibility of major flooding as record-breaking amounts of snow began to thaw. February was the snowiest month in Pittsburgh-area history. River towns south and east of the city are especially vulnerable to snowmelt coming downstream from the mountains.

Officials say there is more snow in those mountains than there was in 1996, the region’s last major snow-related floods.

Allegheny County Emergency Services Chief Bob Full said last week that “the rivers are going to flood. It’s just a question of where.”

Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravensthal declared a state of emergency on Wednesday to help the city more easily control resources.