Flash Flood, Washington
- When
- September 10, 9:00 PM EST to September 11, 1:00 AM EST
- Where
- Washington County, Sharpsburg
- Property damage
- $15,000
- Coordinates
- 39.604, -77.814 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flash Flood in Maryland, September 10 to 11, 1997
A thin band of thunderstorms, laden with tropical moisture, dumped between 5 and 8 inches of rain in a small area of southern Washington Co. Though no fatalities or injuries were reported, dozens of local roads were closed in the area and a few mud slides were noted.
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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $15,000
- 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 LWX wrote it up.
A thin band of thunderstorms, laden with tropical moisture, dumped between 5 and 8 inches of rain in a small area of southern Washington Co. Though no fatalities or injuries were reported, dozens of local roads were closed in the area and a few mud slides were noted. Two roads were washed out, and scattered tree debris was seen. Approximately 20 families were evacuated near Hagerstown due to potential fire hazards from basement flooding.
The radar
The Sterling radar (KLWX), 75 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 01:57 UTC.
Event by event
1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
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
- Hail and Lightning Strikes in Georgia, September 10, 1997
- Tornado in Virginia, September 10, 1997
- Tornadoes in Virginia, September 10, 1997
- Lightning Strike in Wyoming, September 10, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Winds in North Carolina, September 10 to 11, 1997
- Damaging Wind in Virginia, September 10, 1997
- Lightning Strike in New Mexico, September 10, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Wind in North Carolina, September 10, 1997
- Damaging Wind in Delaware, September 10, 1997
- Damaging Winds in Georgia, September 10, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Georgia, September 10, 1997
- Flash Flood in Indiana, September 10, 1997
More
Every storm in Maryland in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Maryland, September 1997
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: 5618250.