Flash Flood in Pennsylvania, July 19, 1996

Name: Flash Flood in Pennsylvania, July 19, 1996
Start: 1996-07-19T01:00
End: 1996-07-19T14:00
Location: Pennsylvania

July 19, 1996 · NWS PBZ · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Flood waters rose quickly after heavy thunderstorm rains pounded the county. The hardest hit area was in the northern part of the county, where over two feet of water covered the roads.

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: $100,000
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 PBZ wrote it up.

Flood waters rose quickly after heavy thunderstorm rains pounded the county. The hardest hit area was in the northern part of the county, where over two feet of water covered the roads. A total of 11 homes were damaged across the county.

The radar

The Pittsburgh radar (KPBZ), 86 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 05:58 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Mercer

When: July 19, 1:00 AM EST to 2:00 PM EST
Where: Mercer County, Milledgeville
Property damage: $100,000
Coordinates: 41.302, -80.258 (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, July 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: 5574755.