Flash Flood in Pennsylvania, December 2, 1996

Name: Flash Flood in Pennsylvania, December 2, 1996
Start: 1996-12-02T02:00
End: 1996-12-02T04:00
Location: Pennsylvania

December 2, 1996 · NWS PHI · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Rain, which fell from December 1st into the morning of the 2nd became heavy at times during the early morning of the second. m.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 1

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS PHI wrote it up.

Rain, which fell from December 1st into the morning of the 2nd became heavy at times during the early morning of the second. At the Philadelphia International Airport, 0.56 inches of rain fell between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m. EST. The heavy rain caused urban flooding as well as flooding along the Frankford Creek. At the Castor Avenue gage, the creek crested at 6.2 feet at 245 a.m. EST. Flood stage is estimated at 5 feet. Storm totals included 1.98 inches at the Northeast Philadelphia Airport and 1.78 inches at the Philadelphia International Airport. No serious injuries or damage were reported.

The radar

The Philadelphia radar (KDIX), 62 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 06:58 UTC.

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Event by event

1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Philadelphia

When: December 2, 2:00 AM EST to 4:00 AM EST
Where: Philadelphia County, Countywide
Coordinates: 40.008, -75.134 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Flash Flood: Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Pennsylvania in 1996 Every state in 1996 This day in weather history Warnings in Pennsylvania, December 1996

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5576735.