The Catharine Creek waters widened Thursday in Montour Falls, here as the current moved north after passing under the Rt. 224 bridge.

Rain raises water levels, set falls roaring

SCHUYLER COUNTY, April 30, 2020 -- Daylong rain on Thursday turned the area's placid waterfalls into roaring ones, and raised the level of Catharine Creek so that the muddy water was stretching out along the flood plain in Montour Falls, and into adjacent woods.

The view from the Montour Falls bridge on Rt. 224 showed the swirling waters carrying assorted wooden debris and widening as the day progressed.

At Aunt Sarah's Falls alongside Rt. 14, the water was cascading down, sending a spray across the roadway. Many cars were stopping to get a look and, in some cases, a photo.

Up the road toward Watkins Glen, numerous small, impromptu falls sprang up, bringing water down the hill and, in most cases, through storm pipes under the road to the far, marshy side.

Near the Montour Falls business district, off Genesee Street, Shequagah Falls was rampaging, churning up a heavy mist and -- like Aunt Sarah's Falls -- attracting a steady stream of motorists pulling over to marvel at its power and, in a few cases, walking across the park that fronts the falls to get a closer, wetter view.

Photo in text: Aunt Sarah's Falls along Rt. 14 in Montour Falls.

The view from the Rt. 224 bridge in Montour Falls, looking south.

Wooden debris of various kinds was moving swiftly along Catharine Creek in Montour.

The water level in the waterway along the campground in Montour Falls was on the rise.

Small waterfalls were springing up alongside Rt. 14 between Montour and Watkins Glen.

A wide view of Shequagah Falls in Montour Falls, churning as it cascaded down.