Pennsylvania, 1996

Flooding in Pennsylvania, January 19 to 21, 1996

January 19 to 21, 1996 · NWS PBZ · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

The Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers meet at the Point in Pittsburgh to form the Ohio River. A tremendous amount of runoff and snowmelt, combined with the fact that the Monongahela and the Allegheny Rivers crested in phase, resulted in the maximum possible crest possible at the start of the Ohio River at Pittsburgh.

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
$9.6 million
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
2

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 PBZ wrote it up.

The Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers meet at the Point in Pittsburgh to form the Ohio River. A tremendous amount of runoff and snowmelt, combined with the fact that the Monongahela and the Allegheny Rivers crested in phase, resulted in the maximum possible crest possible at the start of the Ohio River at Pittsburgh. The Monongahela River usually crests 4 to 8 hours earlier than the Allegheny River. The Ohio River at Pittsburgh crested at 34.6 feet, 9.6 feet above its 25 foot flood stage at 10 am on the 20th.In Beaver County, 257 homes were affected, 14 with major damage and 15 destroyed. At least 42 businesses were affected, 2 of which were destroyed. Commercial and industrial damages to real estate, equipment and supplies alone totaled over $4 Million. Bridges were also damaged by floating debris in the river. About 400 people throughout the county had to be evacuated.Total damages for River flooding for Allegheny County are found in the description of the river flooding along the Monongahela River.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Allegheny

When
January 19, 4:00 PM EST to January 21, 1:00 PM EST
Where
Allegheny forecast zone
Coordinates
40.469, -79.981 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Beaver

When
January 19, 4:00 PM EST to January 21, 1:00 PM EST
Where
Beaver forecast zone
Property damage
$9.6 million
Coordinates
40.682, -80.349 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Flood
Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.

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, January 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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5544542, 5544543.