Slow thaw may help avoid dangerous winter flooding
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As slightly warmer weather moves into Columbus, the piles of snow outside will likely take all week to melt — and that gradualness would be a good thing.
Why it matters: Under the right conditions, heavy snowfall followed by a quick warmup can lead to dangerous flooding that further stresses infrastructure.
Melting the news: We're into the second half of a challenging winter.
- The heaviest snow event of the last decade, followed by weeks of freezing temperatures, means it hasn't gone away.
Plus: Freezing conditions have resulted in water mains bursting throughout the city, a separate issue altogether.
- It's been an abnormally challenging winter for the city's 3,600 miles of pipes, Columbus Department of Public Utilities spokesperson George Zonders tells Axios.
- Crews are working weekends and adding private contractors to assist with repairs.
State of play: So with a relatively balmy week ahead, is thawing going to be a problem?
- "The conditions are pretty favorable for a gradual snow melt," Columbus Division of Water Reclamation assistant administrator Paul Wilson tells Axios.
Early weather forecasts indicated a chance for multiple warm, rainy days in a row this week, which would have created huge amounts of water in a short period of time — ideal flooding conditions.
- But the rain has largely disappeared from projections, and the warmth appears more incremental.
Context: Last summer's drought conditions (still leaving some of Central Ohio abnormally dry) are helping stave off winter flooding.
- Wilson says soil moisture is lower than normal, which will help absorb the water.
- Meanwhile, the Scioto River sits around 5 feet deep as of Monday — Wilson says "minor flooding" doesn't begin until around 24 feet.
The bottom line: Dangerous conditions aren't likely this week, but they're very plausible under the right circumstances.
- "It's a pretty bad scenario, where you have a big heavy snow and then it turns into 65 degrees the next day with heavy rain," Wilson says. "That's kind of the worst case scenario."
📲 What you can do: Blocked drains causing problems on busy streets can be reported to the Sewer Maintenance Operations Center via 311 or its 24/7 emergency line, 614-645-7102.