Areas in Hardin County reach minor flood stage due to heavy rainfall

HARDIN COUNTY, Tenn. — It continues to rain across most of West Tennessee, and some areas in Hardin County have even reached a minor flood stage.

The Tennessee River has already begun to flow over county roads and around surrounding homes.

Hardin County Fire Chief Melvin Martin says the water on Coffee Landing Road is two to three feet deep as of Wednesday afternoon, and this isn’t the only sign of flooding in the county.

“We have the road-closed signs up, so it is very important to listen and watch the road-closed signs, because we don’t want to have to come out and rescue somebody in the water,” Chief Martin said. “So if the road closed signs are up, if you see any water across the road, don’t try to drive through it. Stay away from it.”

Experts say the river hasn’t been this high since May of 2013, and the rain will continue to fall through Sunday.

“The level at 365 is an action stage and 370 is a minor flood stage, so the river is at 372.3 this morning,” Chief Martin said. “So that’s about two feet over flood stage, and we expect it to go up another one or two feet.”

Chief Martin says the Tennessee River is 15 to 20 feet higher than it usually is, and with the upcoming rain in the forecast, it’s only predicted to get higher.

“If they have campers or anything in the low-lying areas, keep a check on the water as it rises, because it may come up more than predicted. You don’t ever know,” Chief Martin said.

Officials also remind drivers to take extra precautions when driving through potholes since it’s hard to determine how deep they are when filled with rain water.

Chief Martin says Coffee Landing Road is predicted to be closed until next week. He says you can find a complete list of road closures and flooded areas on the Hardin County Fire Department website.