Pennsylvania, 1996

Flash Flood in Pennsylvania, November 26, 1996

November 26, 1996 · NWS PHI · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Heavy rain associated with a low pressure system that developed near the Gulf of Mexico on the 25th and moved through Eastern Pennsylvania the morning of the 26th caused flooding along the Brandywine Creek. m.

Where it happened

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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.

Heavy rain associated with a low pressure system that developed near the Gulf of Mexico on the 25th and moved through Eastern Pennsylvania the morning of the 26th caused flooding along the Brandywine Creek. The East Branch of the Brandywine Creek at Downingtown was above its 7 foot flood stage from 10 a.m. to noon EST on the 26th. It crested at 7.24 feet at 11 a.m. EST. A car became stuck in the creek's flood waters in Honey Brook and the flooding forced the closure near the intersection of Pennsylvania State Routes 100 and 926. Urban flooding also forced the closure of the intersection of Pennsylvania State Routes 100 and 52. Storm totals included 2.05 inches in Crum Creek (Delaware County), 1.69 inches in Glenmoore, 1.64 inches in Honey Brook and 1.59 inches at the Philadelphia International Airport. No serious injuries were reported.

The radar

The Philadelphia radar (KDIX), 114 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 14:59 UTC.

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Event by event

1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Chester

When
November 26, 10:00 AM EST to 12:00 PM EST
Where
Chester County, Countywide
Coordinates
39.973, -75.748 (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

More

Every storm in Pennsylvania in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in Pennsylvania, November 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: 5576264.