Spring storms early Saturday morning dumped as much as 3 inches of rain in some parts of Jackson County.
A lot of that heavy rain fell over a brief period of time, creating flash flooding in low-lying areas of Seymour and other parts of the county and short-term problems for motorists.
One of those problems involved a car left by a motorist in flash flood waters Saturday morning at Tipton Street (U.S. 50) and Burkart Boulevard, a busy intersection on Seymour’s east side. That intersection was closed by police for a short period of time.
The vehicle stalled and was submerged nearly to its windows before the water quickly receded. It was reported to police at 7:35 a.m.
Seymour Mayor Craig Luedeman said Monday he and other city officials continue to look at that area and others in the city and will be meeting with engineers to discuss the problems and possible solutions.
Police advise people to not attempt to drive through any flooded streets.
Two other motorists reported driving into high water at the railroad underpass in the 6200 block of U.S. 31 North.
That’s another area that tends to flood quickly during periods of heavy rain.
“Once it stops raining, (the water) clears out pretty quickly,” Jackson County Sheriff’s Department Lt. Andy Wayman said of the underpass.
Wayman said dispatchers also received a report of another motorist in floodwaters on Slab Road between the East Fork White River and Ewing.
That call came in Monday morning as the river was on its way back down after cresting at 15.8 feet Sunday morning.
Crothersville police officers and firefighters also assisted with a water rescue in the Muscatatuck Bottoms area in Scott County. Indiana conservation officers Nate Berry and Blake Everhart led that effort involving a Jeep stranded in floodwaters.
Flood stage for the East Fork White River is 12 feet. Major flood stage is 19 feet, and moderate flood stage is 17 feet.
At 15 feet, County Road 725N near Rockford north of Seymour floods, and State Road 258 east of Cortland may flood. When the river reaches 15.62 feet, road closures include County Road 25N through Honeytown, Slab Road between the river and Ewing, Rockford Road near the skating rink and State Road 235 to Medora.
The river is not expected to slip below flood stage until noon Thursday likely because areas upstream also received heavy amounts of rainfall over the weekend.
Duane Davis, director of Jackson County Emergency Management Agency, said he has not received any reports of issues caused by the flash flooding Saturday or the river flooding, including people being stranded in their homes.
“It’s just a normal inconvenience this time of year,” he said of flooding. “I received an email that the Red Cross had serviced several counties, including Jackson County, and I still haven’t heard what that was about.”
He said river flooding is normal here during the spring. The last time the river was above 15 feet was Aug. 8, 2016, when it went to 15.47.
Wayman, who lives in the Medora area, said he received about 2½ inches of rain, while he heard reports of as much as 3½ inches of rain in some parts of Seymour. Brownstown received about 3 inches of rain.