Pennsylvania, 1996

Heavy Rain in Pennsylvania, December 7 to 8, 1996

December 7 to 8, 1996 · NWS PHI · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

A low pressure system developed over South Carolina and Georgia the morning of the 7th and moved quickly northeast passing over the Delmarva Peninsula during the late afternoon of the 7th, just east of the New Jersey during the evening of the 7th and near Portland Maine on the morning of the 8th. For the third time this month at least an inch of rain (heavy at times during the evening) fell…

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 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
3

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.

A low pressure system developed over South Carolina and Georgia the morning of the 7th and moved quickly northeast passing over the Delmarva Peninsula during the late afternoon of the 7th, just east of the New Jersey during the evening of the 7th and near Portland Maine on the morning of the 8th. For the third time this month at least an inch of rain (heavy at times during the evening) fell across extreme Southeast Pennsylvania. Some urban and poor drainage flooding occurred, but no serious injuries or damage were reported. Storm totals included 1.3 inches at the Franklin Institute (Philadelphia), 1.24 inches in Doylestown and Neshaminy Falls(Bucks County), 1.22 inches in Southampton (Bucks County), 1.14 inches at the Philadelphia International Airport and 1.12 inches in Crum Creek (Delaware County).

The radar

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

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Event by event

3 heavy rain. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Rain, Bucks

When
December 7, 10:00 AM EST to December 8, 12:00 AM EST
Where
Bucks forecast zone

Heavy Rain, Delaware

When
December 7, 10:00 AM EST to December 8, 12:00 AM EST
Where
Delaware forecast zone
Coordinates
39.917, -75.399 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Philadelphia

When
December 7, 10:00 AM EST to December 8, 12:00 AM 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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5577421, 5577422, 5577423.