Sun and clouds mixed. High 79F. Winds light and variable..
Partly cloudy this evening, then becoming cloudy after midnight. Low around 60F. Winds light and variable.
The Youghiogheny River covers a rock favored by swimmers and sunbathers after heavy rains earlier in the day on Wednesday.
Ducks swim against the current along the Yough River Park shoreline on the swollen Youghiogheny River Wednesday afternoon.
The rain-swollen Youghiogheny River flows from the south towards the McCray Robb Bridge in Connellsville on Wednesday afternoon.
The Youghiogheny River engulfs an outcropping near the Yough River Park favored by swimmers and sunbathers in the summer mid-afternoon on Wednesday.
Waters are rising along the Rotary Walk in Uniontown.
Redstone Creek in Uniontown continued to rise throughout the day Wednesday.
The Youghiogheny River covers a rock favored by swimmers and sunbathers after heavy rains earlier in the day on Wednesday.
Ducks swim against the current along the Yough River Park shoreline on the swollen Youghiogheny River Wednesday afternoon.
The rain-swollen Youghiogheny River flows from the south towards the McCray Robb Bridge in Connellsville on Wednesday afternoon.
The Youghiogheny River engulfs an outcropping near the Yough River Park favored by swimmers and sunbathers in the summer mid-afternoon on Wednesday.
Waters are rising along the Rotary Walk in Uniontown.
Redstone Creek in Uniontown continued to rise throughout the day Wednesday.
As the rain rolls out of the area, Connellsville Mayor Greg Lincoln said officials' eyes are fixed on the Youghiogheny River.
Late Wednesday afternoon, the National Weather Service reported that the Yough will likely rise to 14.8 feet on Thursday morning around 8 a.m., which is considered a minor flood stage.
Jason Frazier, an NWS meteorologist in Pittsburgh, said basement flooding is likely in nearby homes. Earlier Wednesday, the NWS predicted the Yough would crest at 15.9 feet Thursday, causing moderate flooding.
Lincoln called the change a "positive update."
"Fingers crossed that this will continue to drop as the evening goes on," he said.
Frazier said after 8 a.m., the water level for the Yough will begin to lower and the river should be below the flood stage by 8 p.m. Thursday.
As a precautionary measure, Lincoln said the concession stand and visitor center at Yough River Park were emptied.
“I like to be overly cautious and have no one in harm's way rather than not taking it seriously -- then it happens and we're struggling to get people to safety,” Lincoln said.
He said city officials learned many lessons after a severe storm five years ago suddenly dumped over five inches of rain within two hours, causing extensive flooding in and around the city and over $7 million in property damage.
Along with upgrading rescue equipment since the 2016 flood by acquiring a rescue boat, a rescue side-by-side and a portable light stand, Lincoln said everyone is on the same page with a proactive mindset as evidenced by a planning meeting of city officials in advance of the rain.
“We met (Tuesday) at city hall and went over who was going to do what,” Lincoln said. “I'm very very pleased with how we came together and met and came up with a plan of action if, God forbid, it did flood.”
He said city employees and New Haven Hose Co. VFD have been out checking on conditions regularly, and City Clerk Vern Ohler started contacting homes and businesses along the river that could be affected if flooding occurs.
“You can only be so ready, but we want to make sure the residents are safe and out of harm's way,” Lincoln said.
Lincoln has also taken advantage of social media to provide as much information to the public as possible, and encouraged residents to sign up for CodeRed, a service that notifies participants of emergency situations and critical community alerts.
It's free to register for alerts, and it can be done on the county's website www.fayettecountypa.org under the “Emergency Alerts” tab.
As of late Wednesday afternoon, Lincoln said, there were no reports of flooding from the smaller streams in the city.
While the NWS listed Uniontown as a location for potential flooding problems, Mayor Bill Gerke said hard rain Wednesday morning tapered off, and the city appeared to escape any major problems.
Sue Kozak-Griffith, Fayette County Emergency Management Agency spokeswoman, said the county as a whole was "fortunate" Wednesday and only faced minor issues, including scattered downed trees and utility lines.
By the afternoon, dispatchers were experiencing a reprieve in 911 calls, and responders did not face an overabundance of calls, even during the heaviest rainfall.
She said the storm took a slightly different path than was forecast, so the area faced less rainfall than expected and rivers did not rise to the level that was anticipated.
"We didn't even have a great deal of roadway flooding," she said.
Frazier said the rain from Hurricane Ida was all but over in the area by late Wednesday afternoon, save for some pockets of drizzle with any additional accumulation being less than a tenth of an inch.
Greene County also escaped any major issues, said county EMA Director Don Mason.
“As hard as it rained here, it’s surprising that we weren’t greatly impacted by the rainfall,” Mason said. “We know counties around us were affected by flooding, and as of now it seems that Greene luckily avoided any serious issues. Thank God.”
Mason said his office only received a few scattered reports of downed trees throughout the area, but EMA employees were traveling across the county to assess and evaluate any potential flood-related damages or issues.
“We are carefully monitoring the situation and will continue to do so, and we will be watching late tonight and tomorrow to see if additional rainfall will impact the Mon River and our area,” he said.
During a Wednesday morning press conference, Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency Director Randy Padfield said the storm's maximum impact would come late in the day, and early into Thursday. Padfield said state officials pre-staged rescue crews from the Pennsylvania National Guard across the state to help as needed.
Jeff Jumper, a PEMA meteorologist, said the next 24 hours would bring “a month or two month's worth of rain.” Rivers will continue to rise for “a couple days,” he said, warning people not to walk through flooded areas.
Officials urged motorists to stay home if they’re able, and cautioned against driving through flooded areas or around barriers that have closed roads.
State police Major Robert Krol said those who get stuck after driving around barricades could face a $500 fine, while those who do so and need rescued are, under the law, on the hook for the cost of rescue efforts.
“Less traffic on the road is going to help keep (everyone) safer,” said Gov. Tom Wolf.
Freelance writer Alyssa Choiniere contributed to this report.
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