Flash Flood in Pennsylvania, November 7 to 8, 1997

Name: Flash Flood in Pennsylvania, November 7 to 8, 1997
Start: 1997-11-07T20:30
End: 1997-11-08T13:30
Location: Pennsylvania

November 7 to 8, 1997 · NWS PBZ · 1 event in 1 county or zone

1 flash flood, as filed by the National Weather Service.

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: $40,000
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.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Westmoreland

When: November 7, 8:30 PM EST to November 8, 1:30 PM EST
Where: Westmoreland County, Countywide
Property damage: $40,000
Coordinates: 40.311, -79.467 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A strong storm moving up the Atlantic Coast spread heavy rain into parts of western Pennsylvania. The rainfall was most intense along the Allegheny Plateau, where prolonged strong east, upslope winds prevailed. Widespread rainfall amounts of 3 to 4 inches were quite common throughout the county. Basements were flooded in Latrobe. Interstate 70 through South Huntingdon was flooded. A rock/mudslide covered a portion of Interstate 70 at the Smithton Bridge. Street flooding was reported in South Greensburg. Rt. 981 was closed due to flooding of the Loyalhanna Creek near Seward. Rt. 982 between Rt. 30 and Eaton Rd. in Latrobe was closed in Latrobe also because of the Loyalhanna Creek. Firefighters resrescuedfamily of 3 when a car became partially submerged as Sewickley Creek overflowed onto Fairground Rd. near Youngwood. Water to 3 feet deep flowed across the road. Rt. 711 between New Florence and Seward was closed due to high water on the Conemaugh River and its tributaries. Numerous roads were flooded and 1 house was evacuated near Ligonier.

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 1997 Every state in 1997 This day in weather history Warnings in Pennsylvania, November 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: 5626236.