Pennsylvania, 1996

Heavy Rain in Pennsylvania, December 31, 1996

December 31, 1996 · NWS PHI · 10 events in 10 counties and zones

December 1996 was one of the wettest Decembers on record for Eastern Pennsylvania. 5 inches above normal in both Delaware and Monroe Counties.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 7 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
10

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.

December 1996 was one of the wettest Decembers on record for Eastern Pennsylvania. Precipitation amounts ranged from about 4 inches above normal in Berks County to around 6.5 inches above normal in both Delaware and Monroe Counties. A new December precipitation record was set at the Philadelphia International Airport where 8.48 inches fell. The previous record was 7.37 inches set in 1983. December 1996 was the second wettest December on record at the Lehigh Valley International Airport where 7.3 inches of precipitation fell. The record remains 7.89 inches set in 1973. County average monthly precipitation totals ranged from 7.6 inches in Berks County to 10.3 inches in Monroe County.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

10 heavy rain. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Rain, Carbon

When
December 31, 11:58 PM EST
Where
Carbon forecast zone
Coordinates
40.918, -75.709 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Monroe

When
December 31, 11:58 PM EST
Where
Monroe forecast zone
Coordinates
41.058, -75.339 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Berks

When
December 31, 11:58 PM EST
Where
Berks forecast zone
Coordinates
40.416, -75.926 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Lehigh

When
December 31, 11:58 PM EST
Where
Lehigh forecast zone
Coordinates
40.613, -75.592 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Northampton

When
December 31, 11:58 PM EST
Where
Northampton forecast zone
Coordinates
40.754, -75.307 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Chester

When
December 31, 11:58 PM EST
Where
Chester forecast zone

Heavy Rain, Montgomery

When
December 31, 11:58 PM EST
Where
Montgomery forecast zone

Heavy Rain, Bucks

When
December 31, 11:58 PM EST
Where
Bucks forecast zone

Heavy Rain, Delaware

When
December 31, 11:58 PM EST
Where
Delaware forecast zone
Coordinates
39.917, -75.399 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Philadelphia

When
December 31, 11:58 PM EST
Where
Philadelphia forecast zone
Coordinates
40.008, -75.134 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Heavy Rain
Rainfall totals unusual for the place and season that did not produce a flood.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Pennsylvania in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings 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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5577606, 5577607, 5577608, 5577609, 5577610, 5577611, 5577612, 5577613, 5577614, 5577615.