Tuesday night’s thundershower dumped as much as four inches of rain on the Tri-State and caused scattered short power failures, but left little damage in its wake.

Wednesday, August 25, 1999

Tuesday night’s thundershower dumped as much as four inches of rain on the Tri-State and caused scattered short power failures, but left little damage in its wake.

A storm system from the Midwest brought about two inches of rain to the parched Lawrence County area Tuesday morning, said Tom Mazza, meteorologist with the Charleston, W.Va., National Weather Service.

Then, last night’s second wave of storms brought rain levels up to five inches southeast from north Vinton County in Ohio, Mazza said.

"As you go further east, the rainfall was less, with Parkersburg at about one to one and a half inches," he said.

During the last 24 hours, the Huntington, W.Va., area recorded 3.59 inches of rain, confirmed by radar maps of the storm, Mazza said.

The rain was concentrated in the Tri-State, he said.

Ironton recorded 4.3 inches of rain since Tuesday morning, said John McCabe, water distribution superintendent.

"We need more events like this but it certainly was beneficial," Mazza said

The showers and thunderstorms will continue in Ohio tonight and Thursday as another line of storms moves into the state from Indiana, he said.

The extended forecast calls for a chance of showers or thunderstorms through Saturday with lows in the mid-60s and highs in the lower and mid-80s.

In Ironton several streets flooded during the Tuesday night downpour but are clear this morning, McCabe said.

There were no sewer backups, although two pumps had to be used in the Green Valley area because of storm water runoff, he said.

No accidents were reported by the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Department or the Ohio Highway Patrol’s Ironton post, although rain became heavy at times and slowed traffic, dispatchers said.

Four minor fender benders were reported before 3 p.m. Tuesday, likely due to light rain and slick roads, OHP dispatchers said.