Flash Flood, Lehigh
- When
- July 24, 7:00 AM EST to 12:00 PM EST
- Where
- Lehigh County, Countywide
- Coordinates
- 40.613, -75.592 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flash Flooding in Pennsylvania, July 24, 1997
Heavy rain, associated with weak low pressure systems riding along a nearly stationary frontal boundary in the southern Delmarva Peninsula, caused flash flooding of some of the streams in Northampton and Lehigh Counties during the morning and mid-day on the 24th. Some of the worst flooding occurred in Bethlehem along Industrial Drive.
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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- 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 PHI wrote it up.
Heavy rain, associated with weak low pressure systems riding along a nearly stationary frontal boundary in the southern Delmarva Peninsula, caused flash flooding of some of the streams in Northampton and Lehigh Counties during the morning and mid-day on the 24th. Some of the worst flooding occurred in Bethlehem along Industrial Drive. Cars were almost totally submerged and several trapped motorists had to be rescued during the morning rush hour commute. Four other roads within the city were closed. Pennsylvania State Route 512 was closed at the Bethlehem border due to flooding of the Monocacy Creek. Mudslides forced the closure of Pine Top Trail. In Lehigh County, flooding was reported along the Cedar and Little Lehigh Creeks. Flooding forced the closure of one roadway in Whitehall Township. Storm totals included 6.05 inches in Williams Township, 3.74 at the Lehigh Valley International Airport and 2.68 inches at the Easton Bridge.
The radar
The Philadelphia radar (KDIX), 125 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 11:58 UTC.
Event by event
2 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Flash Flood, Northampton
- When
- July 24, 7:00 AM EST to 12:00 PM EST
- Where
- Northampton County, Countywide
- Coordinates
- 40.754, -75.307 (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
- Lightning Strike in Colorado, July 24, 1997
- Flash Flooding and Heavy Rain in New Jersey, July 24 to 25, 1997
- Tornadoes in Virginia, July 24, 1997
- Flood in Alaska, July 24 to 31, 1997
- Flash Flood in Iowa, July 24, 1997
- Damaging Wind and Waterspout in North Carolina, July 24, 1997
- Flash Flood and Damaging Winds in South Carolina, July 24, 1997
- Tornado and Flash Flooding in South Dakota, July 24 to 25, 1997
- Flash Flood in West Virginia, July 24, 1997
- Heavy Rain in New York, July 24 to 25, 1997
- High Wind in North Carolina, July 24, 1997
- Flood in Iowa, July 24, 1997
More
Every storm in Pennsylvania in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Pennsylvania, July 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: 5614593, 5614594.