Photo Provided Pipe Creek Road in Jacobsburg in inundated with water Monday in the image shared on Facebook by the Belmont County Emergency Management Agency.

MARTINS FERRY — Heavy rain and flooding closed multiple roads in Eastern Ohio on Monday, and the threat of severe weather continues today.

Heavy rain showers caused multiple roads to flood in Belmont and Monroe counties on Monday. The National Weather Service issued several flood warnings throughout the day Monday, as well as a flood watch for Belmont County that remains in effect until 8 p.m. this evening.

“Flooding caused by excessive rainfall continues to be a problem,” the advisory released by NWS states.

According to that agency, there is a risk of severe weather this afternoon and throughout the late evening. Tornadoes, large hail and damaging wind gusts are expected. A Hazardous Weather Outlook was also broadcast, which will be in effect until Sunday.

Dave Ivan, director of the Belmont County Emergency Management Agency, said flooding remains a concern today as well.

“People who live near creeks really need to pay attention (Tuesday),” Ivan said. “With the rainfall we got (Monday), it’s not going to take much for those creeks to overflow.”

Pipe Creek Road, which runs from Jacobsburg to Ohio 7, and Cats Run Road in the Powhatan Point area were both closed Monday due to flooding, as was Ohio 148 leading from Powhatan to Ohio 800 south of Barnesville. Pipe Creek Road was still closed Monday evening due to the severity of the flooding, Ivan noted.

Ivan also urges all local residents to keep a close eye on weather conditions today.

“This is the first time in a long time that I’ve seen (the NWS) put us in a Moderate Risk the day before a storm,” Ivan said Monday while talking about the potential impacts of today’s storms.

The NWS indicated on Monday afternoon that the the potential for severe weather in most of Ohio, including the local area, is a 4 on its 5-level scale. This “moderate risk” means the NWS has high confidence in many severe storms occurring and that several of them are likely to be “significant.” It defines “significant” as including wind gusts of at least 78 mph, hail at least 2 inches in diameter and/or tornadoes reaching at least EF-2 strength.

The NWS said the storms will occur in the late afternoon and evening, with the highest chance of impact west of Pittsburgh, mainly in the Zanesville and New Philadelphia areas. The last time Eastern Ohio was classified at moderate risk was in 2014, according to the NWS.

The NWS urges people to make sure they have multiple ways to receive weather alerts at home, at work and elsewhere. Once a watch is issued, people should be alert for a warning to follow and be prepared to act at that point. In the event of a tornado warning, the NWS advises people to get inside, underground in a basement if possible or in the center of a sturdy structure. While taking shelter, use pillows, blankets, coats, helmets and other items to cover and protect your body from flying debris.

With additional flooding expected, people who live along local creeks should be on alert, and motorists should remember not to drive through flooded areas. Only a few inches of swift-moving water can wash a car away from the roadway.

Managing Editor Jennifer Compston-Strough contributed to this report.