Flash Flood Warning Issued for Columbus and Central Ohio Counties Through Early Friday
This alert is no longer in effect.
NOAA issued it on April 6, 2026, 4 months ago. Warnings of this kind stay in effect for hours to a few days, so this page is a historical record of what was issued, not a current warning. For conditions where you are right now, check weather.gov (US), weather.gc.ca (Canada), the Met Office (UK), or the Bureau of Meteorology (Australia).
Areazine synthesizes this NWS weather alert directly from NOAA's official public data feed. See our methodology for full source attribution and refresh cadence.
The National Weather Service has issued an immediate Flash Flood Warning for parts of Franklin, Fairfield, Madison, and Pickaway counties due to heavy thunderstorm rainfall.
Read this weather record in 30 seconds
- Record type
- Flash Flood Warning
- Affected area
- Central Ohio
- Issued
- April 6, 2026
- Issuing authority
- NWS Wilmington OH
Flood notices turn on location and timing. Treat the named area as this record's scope; do not assume nearby counties, parishes, or waterways were included.
Record status: historical. It was issued 4 months ago; use the issuing agency's live warning service for current conditions in Central Ohio.
Alert Details
The National Weather Service in Wilmington has issued a Flash Flood Warning for portions of central Ohio. The alert was triggered by radar-indicated thunderstorms producing heavy rain across the warned area, with flash flooding either ongoing or expected to begin shortly.
Affected Areas
The warning impacts the following regions in central Ohio:
- Southern Franklin County
- Northwestern Fairfield County
- Southeastern Madison County
- Northwestern Pickaway County
Specific locations that may experience flash flooding include Columbus, Reynoldsburg, Grove City, Upper Arlington, Gahanna, Pickerington, Bexley, Pataskala, Groveport, West Jefferson, Ohio State University, Lake Darby, Whitehall, Grandview Heights, Obetz, Commercial Point, Urbancrest, Valleyview, Marble Cliff, and Harrisburg.
What You Should Do
Residents in the affected areas should follow these safety instructions:
- Turn around, don't drown: Do not attempt to drive through flooded roads. Most flood deaths occur in vehicles.
- Use extreme caution at night: It is much harder to recognize the dangers of flooding in the dark.
- Reporting: To report flash flooding, visit weather.gov/iln or submit a report via social media when it is safe to do so.
Expected Conditions
According to radar data, between 0.5 and 1.5 inches of rain have already fallen. Additional rainfall amounts of 0.5 to 1 inch are possible. The primary hazards include flash flooding of small creeks and streams, urban areas, highways, streets, and underpasses, as well as other poor drainage and low-lying areas.
Timeline
The Flash Flood Warning is effective as of 11:37 PM EST on February 19 and is currently set to expire at 2:45 AM EST on February 20.
Original source: NOAA Official Notice ↗
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