Pennsylvania, 2000

Flash Flooding and Hail in Pennsylvania, August 2, 2000

August 2, 2000 · NWS PBZ · 5 events in 2 counties and zones

Thunderstorms training across the area produced rainfall in excess of 3 inches over a 3 to 6-hour period, creating widespread flash flooding problems across Venango and Mercer Counties.

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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$37,000
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 PBZ wrote it up.

Thunderstorms training across the area produced rainfall in excess of 3 inches over a 3 to 6-hour period, creating widespread flash flooding problems across Venango and Mercer Counties.

The radar

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

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Event by event

2 thunderstorm wind, 2 flash flood, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Mercer

When
August 2, 12:35 PM EST
Where
Mercer County, Jamestown
Property damage
$2,000
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
41.483, -80.450

Thunderstorm winds downed a few trees.

Thunderstorm Wind, Mercer

When
August 2, 2:10 PM EST
Where
Mercer County, Greenville
Property damage
$5,000
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
41.417, -80.383

Thunderstorm winds downed several trees and power lines, leaving over 4,000 people in the surrounding area without power.

Hail, Venango

When
August 2, 2:15 PM EST
Where
Venango County, Utica
Measured
0.88 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
41.417, -79.950

Flash Flood, Mercer

When
August 2, 3:00 PM EST to 8:30 PM EST
Where
Mercer County, Countywide
Property damage
$25,000
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
41.302, -80.258 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

In Sharon, basement and roadway flooding was reported with a few secondary roadways near Sharon partially washed away by the flooding. Minor roadway flooding was reported in the Greenville and Sugar Grove areas. Flooding was also reported along U.S. Route 62 from Charleston to Hermitage. Several roadways in the New Lebanon area were reported under water.

Flash Flood, Venango

When
August 2, 3:30 PM EST to 9:00 PM EST
Where
Venango County, Oil City
Property damage
$5,000
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
41.401, -79.758 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Roadway flooding was reported along State Highway 8 in the Oil City area. In the Sugarcreek area, several local roads were partially flooded.

What these are

Thunderstorm Wind
Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
Hail
Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
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

More

Every storm in Pennsylvania in 2000Every state in 2000This day in weather historyWarnings in Pennsylvania, August 2000

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: 5174454, 5174455, 5174456, 5174458, 5174457.