Photo by Alan Olson High water keeps parts of Wheeling’s Heritage Port submerged Saturday, while expected rains overnight may raise it to levels of minor flooding.

WHEELING — Light rains Saturday seemed to be just the start of expected heavy rains overnight into today, which is keeping emergency agencies on alert for flooding.

Ohio County Emergency Management Director Lou Vargo said officials would be watching the weather reports from Pittsburgh, but through most of the day Saturday, they were downsizing the workforce. Officials are still watching the Ohio River, though, as it is expected to crest above flood stage on Monday at most locations in the Upper Ohio Valley.

“We’re downsizing — I just talked to the National Weather Service,” Vargo said. “We’re just going to follow the radar and weather reports from Pittsburgh, if the rain does occur. As of right now, the river’s going to be coming up to flood stage, and we’ll be ready to help residents clean up when the flood recedes.

Vargo added that the anticipated heavy rain Saturday night may lead to a chance of landslides, which they would also be monitoring.

By Saturday afternoon, the predicted river level for Sunday had decreased, expected to crest at an estimated 38.9 feet at Moundsville. Marshall County Emergency Management Director Tom Hart said although the lowered level was some relief, the threat of heavy rain overnight was keeping their office on alert.

“We just finished a briefing with the National Guard about (1 p.m.), just some further coordination and planning efforts,” he said. “Right now, our big concern is that the river is still above flood stage, but it is more manageable than previous. The flash flooding is countywide. There’s potential that we could see, especially between midnight and 3 a.m., is when they’re projecting the heaviest rain, anywhere in the county.”

The Monroe County Sheriff’s Department said that, as of Saturday afternoon, no road closures were reported. Calls to the Monroe County Office of Emergency Management were not returned Saturday.

On Saturday, the National Weather Service predicted minor flooding in parts of Wheeling and Marshall County by today, as rains overnight were expected to raiser river levels to crest at 38.6 feet in Wheeling, and as high as 38.9 feet in Moundsville. At the Hannibal Lock and Dam in southern Monroe County, the river was predicted to just on the upper limit of what is considered minor flooding.

Locations west of the river in Belmont County were not predicted to undergo serious flooding.

Into today, forecasts call for up to an inch and a half of rain overnight, with another one-quarter inch through the day.

CREST LEVEL PREDICTIONS

– Wheeling — 38.6 feet (2.6 feet above

flood stage)

– Pike Island Locks and Dam — 38.8 (1.8

feet above flood stage)

– Moundsville — 40.5 (3.5 feet above

flood stage)

– Hannibal Locks and Dam — 35 feet

(at flood stage)

– Steubenville — 35.1 (0.9 feet under flood stage)

Source: National Weather Service