Waters recede in Hill County as breezy week arrives

Local water bodies seem to be remaining at safe levels in Hill County despite ongoing flooding and the damage that comes with it, with no major precipitation expected this week.

Hill County joined many of its neighbors in the region in declaring and emergency last week due to flooding conditions but, as of Friday of last week, most of the local water bodies seem to be at manageable levels.

Hill County DES Coordinator Amanda Frickel said Friday afternoon that Big Sandy Creek is cresting but the level is not at an emergency level and Beaver Creek and the East Fork are holding at safe levels.

Frickel said water levels are receding at Fresno Reservoir as well.

Lodge Creek appears to be in flux as certain areas are receding while others are still actively flooding, she said.

The flooding has already caused a substantial amount of damage, particularly to roads, in the local area, and Hill County has followed some of its neighbors in passing a 2 mil levy to cover repairs, hoping that the situation will reach the threshold of being declared a disaster by the federal government, and receive support from FEMA.

While the National Weather Services’ forecast says there is a 30 percent chance of precipitation through today and tonight, the area appears to be getting a break from rain until Thursday which has a 50 percent chance of rain during the day.

As for temperatures, the highs will rise from last week, with a high of 56 today and 60 Tuesday with lows of 36 and 38 respectively.

Wednesday the high will be 59 with a low of 41 followed by a dip to a high of 52 and low of 33 Thursday, with Friday looking about the same.

Partly cloudy conditions are expected until Thursday when the area may see a stiff 15 to 22 mph breeze from the northeast with gusts up to 32 mph.

The forecast says winds will likely slow down to 10 to 15 mph by midnight, which will be followed by a mostly sunny Friday.

Winds from now until Thursday are predicted to be between 4 and 14 mph, mostly from the east, though Tuesday and Wednesday may see gusts 18 and 21 mph, primarily from the west.