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June 12, 2009

Rains pound area

Sudden rain storms flood Corbin streets

Editor's note: Check out the Times-Tribune on Facebook for more of the June 12, 2009, flash flood photos.

By Ronnie Ellis / CNHI News Writer

A spate of sudden rain storms flooded Corbin streets in less than an hour early Thursday afternoon, forcing closure of city streets and diverting traffic, flooding local lawns and even covering the railroad tracks.

Fifth Street was closed to traffic for about two hours.

Rainfall measurements varied throughout the county, but National Weather Service meteorologist Tony Edwards said as much as 2.15 inches fell in Rockholds in Whitley County, and radar estimates indicated as much as 1.5 inches fell in and around Corbin in just over an hour.

Actual NWS rain gauges in Corbin showed about an inch of rainfall in the six hours and two inches in the previous 12, Edwards said.

That was enough to cause flash flooding he said.

“That’s well over the flash flood guidance,” said Edwards, who works in the Jackson office of the NWS. Because the ground was already saturated with recent rains and streams were high even before the Thursday afternoon outburst, it didn’t take much additional rain to create flooding, he said.

“Corbin only needed an inch in three hours to cause flash flooding,” Edwards explained.

Rob Jones, Public Affairs Officer for the Corbin Police Department, said in spite of the deluge that fell beginning around 1:45 p.m. surprisingly there was no serious damage or injuries.

“There were no injuries, no damage — no major damage anyway,” Jones said at about 5 p.m. Thursday. “The water is down and everything is pretty much back to normal.”

Jones said Fifth Street was blocked for about two hours and motorists entering town from the east had to turn around and seek another route during the heaviest period of rainfall.

The road conditions and high water produced a spate of calls to the Kentucky State Police Post 11 at London, but Public Affairs Officer Trooper Don Trosper said water levels had receded by the time KSP officers arrived on the scene.

“We had some calls from north Corbin about roads covered by water,” Trosper said. “Our officers responded when we got the calls but by the time they got there, most of the water had receded.”

Trosper said there were no reports of injuries, only minor traffic problems caused by the flooded roadways.

Edwards, said a thin line of strong thunderstorms moved through the area beginning shortly after 1:30 p.m. and extended from northeast Whitley County through Corbin and into southeast Laurel County, dumping heavy rains in about an hour’s time.

Edwards said the area was forecast perhaps to get a break from the heavy rains Thursday evening and Friday with chances for thundershowers increasing slightly Friday to 20 percent and then to 30 percent on Saturday.

“I think we’re good for a little while,” Edwards said shortly after Thursday’s heavy rains. “But there’s still a chance of thundershowers in the forecast for several more days.”

But those should be more isolated rather than widespread, Edwards said.

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