Pennsylvania, 1999

Heavy Rain in Pennsylvania, May 19, 1999

May 19, 1999 · NWS PHI · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

A slow moving cold front helped produce a couple of bands of very heavy rain across Eastern Pennsylvania the morning of the 19th. 5 inches (most of which fell within three hours) and caused some poor drainage flooding.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 5 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
5

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.

A slow moving cold front helped produce a couple of bands of very heavy rain across Eastern Pennsylvania the morning of the 19th. Storm totals averaged around 1.5 inches (most of which fell within three hours) and caused some poor drainage flooding. No stream flooding was reported. One band of heavy rain extended from eastern Berks County and northwestern Montgomery County north through most of Lehigh County as well eastern Carbon County and western Monroe County. A second more discontinuous band affected southeastern Montgomery County and eastern Monroe County. Storm totals included 1.99 inches in White Haven (in Luzerne County just north of Carbon County), 1.60 inches in Pottstown (Montgomery County), 1.56 inches in Bechtelsville (Berks County), 1.42 inches in Long Pond (Monroe County), 1.36 inches in East Stroudsburg (Monroe County), 1.19 inches at the Lehigh Valley International Airport and 1.14 inches at the Willow Grove NAS (Montgomery County).

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

5 heavy rain. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Rain, Berks

When
May 19, 5:00 AM EST to 8:00 AM EST
Where
Berks County, Bechtelsville
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
40.416, -75.926 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Carbon

When
May 19, 5:00 AM EST to 8:00 AM EST
Where
Carbon County, Albrightsville
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
40.918, -75.709 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Lehigh

When
May 19, 5:00 AM EST to 8:00 AM EST
Where
Lehigh County, Countywide
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
40.613, -75.592 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Montgomery

When
May 19, 5:00 AM EST to 8:00 AM EST
Where
Montgomery County, Countywide
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
40.211, -75.367 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Monroe

When
May 19, 6:00 AM EST to 9:00 AM EST
Where
Monroe County, Countywide
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
41.058, -75.339 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Heavy Rain
Rainfall totals unusual for the place and season that did not produce a flood.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Pennsylvania in 1999Every state in 1999This day in weather historyWarnings in Pennsylvania, May 1999

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: 5699486, 5699487, 5699488, 5699490, 5699489.