Flash Flood, Erie
- When
- January 7, 9:55 PM EST to 11:45 PM EST
- Where
- Erie County, Countywide
- Property damage
- $60,000
- Coordinates
- 42.118, -80.098 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flash Flooding in Pennsylvania, January 7, 1998
Heavy thunderstorm rain on already saturated soil caused flooding of streams, low lying areas, roads and basements, especially in the areas of Meadville, Vernon Township and Conneaut Lake (all in Crawford County). Six feet of water closed an underpass on Route 98 in Fairview Township and waters from French Creek flooded some roads at Mill Village (Erie).
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
- $140,000
- 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 CLE wrote it up.
Heavy thunderstorm rain on already saturated soil caused flooding of streams, low lying areas, roads and basements, especially in the areas of Meadville, Vernon Township and Conneaut Lake (all in Crawford County). Six feet of water closed an underpass on Route 98 in Fairview Township and waters from French Creek flooded some roads at Mill Village (Erie).
The radar
The Buffalo radar (KBUF), 145 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 02:53 UTC.
Event by event
2 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Flash Flood, Crawford
- When
- January 7, 9:59 PM EST to 11:00 PM EST
- Where
- Crawford County, Countywide
- Property damage
- $80,000
- Coordinates
- 41.685, -80.106 (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
- Flash Flood in Tennessee, January 7, 1998
- Tornado and Flash Flooding in South Carolina, January 7 to 8, 1998
- Flash Flooding in Alabama, January 7, 1998
- Flash Flooding and Flood in North Carolina, January 7 to 9, 1998
- Ice Storm in New Hampshire, January 7 to 9, 1998
- Flash Flood in Alabama, January 7, 1998
- Flash Flooding in Kentucky, January 7, 1998
- Flood in Louisiana, January 7, 1998
- Damaging Winds in Georgia, January 7, 1998
- Flash Flooding and Damaging Wind in Mississippi, January 7, 1998
- Flash Flooding and Damaging Wind in Virginia, January 7 to 8, 1998
- Tornado and Flash Flooding in Tennessee, January 7, 1998
More
Every storm in Pennsylvania in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in Pennsylvania, January 1998
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: 5635910, 5635909.