Weather Experts Keep Close Eye On Local Waters
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- The month of March is living up to its billing as one of those peak flooding months and that means the National Weather Service is working overtime.
For those who are tired of snow, it probably wasn't a welcome site when Mother Nature left a blanket of white stuff on the ground Sunday. However, according to the National Weather Service, the change over from rain to snow provided some relief from flooding.
"That's water that wasn't available to flow right into the rivers," said Bill Drzal, of the National Weather Service. "We would have had another probably quarter or a half inch of rain."
The snow also helped the Army Corps. of Engineers. They control area dams and reservoirs.
"The snow will take longer to melt, so it's going to take longer to turn into water [and] run into the rivers," said Dan Jones, of the Army Corps of Engineers. "Even though it's a small amount of snow, every little bit helps."
But we did get nearly two inches of rain, and that should bring another round of flooding in the usual areas like the Mon Wharf and along the North Shore walkway.
On Monday, both the Monongahela and the Allegheny rivers are expected to crest at nearly 25 and a half feet.
"I think that we're definitely going to have the Mon Parking Wharf closed. I think we're going to have to 10th Street Bypass closed," Drzal said.
It remains to be seen if the so-called Bathtub or the section of the Parkway East near the Stanwix Street exit will be closed.
The National Weather Service is predicting that another storm will cause the rivers to rise once again by the end of the week, but it should not be a major problem.
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