Flood Warning in effect for Ohio River starting Monday afternoon

Minor flooding is forecast.

At 11 a.m. Saturday, the stage was 49 feet in Cincinnati; flood stage is 52 feet. The river will rise above flood stage Monday evening and continue to rise to near 54.4 feet by early Wednesday afternoon.

At stages near 54 feet, backwater flooding spreads up the lower Little Miami River as far upstream as Newtown, with flooding worsening in California and in Anderson Township. Low-lying areas near New Richmond in Clermont County also flood.

Flooding also worsens in the city's East End neighborhood. Flooding near Petersburg, Kentucky along Belleview Road near the Woolper Creek Bridge occurs, as well as near Old State Route 56 and Water Street near Aurora, Indiana.

LINK: Ohio River gauge

The stage was 45.2 feet at Meldahl Dam at 10 a.m. Saturday; flood stage is 51 feet. There, the river will rise above flood stage by early Monday afternoon and continue to rise to near 53.6 feet by early Wednesday morning.

At stages near 54 feet, Route 52 and Route 232 near Point Pleasant, Ohio are covered with water. Backwater flooding near the river worsens in Clermont, Brown, Bracken and Pendleton counties.

Cincinnati's Stormwater Management Utility plans to install floodgates in the city's Queensgate area Saturday, and close the Mill Creek Barrier Dam Sunday.

In Covington, the Madison Overlook will be closed due to the high river level. As of Friday night, the city of Covington did not plan to install the Madison floodwall gates. That could change, though, as city crews spend the weekend watching the latest flood level projections.