Flash Flood in Pennsylvania, August 24, 2002

Name: Flash Flood in Pennsylvania, August 24, 2002
Start: 2002-08-24T18:32
End: 2002-08-24T19:13
Location: Pennsylvania

August 24, 2002 · NWS PHI · 1 event in 1 county or zone

In addition to the severe weather, the thunderstorms dropped heavy rain as they moved through Philadelphia. This caused rapid flooding along the Frankford Creek.

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: None recorded
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.

What happened

The episode as NWS PHI wrote it up.

In addition to the severe weather, the thunderstorms dropped heavy rain as they moved through Philadelphia. This caused rapid flooding along the Frankford Creek. The Frankford Creek at Castor Avenue was above its 7 foot flood stage from 732 p.m. EDT through 813 p.m. EDT. It crested at 9.62 feet at 745 p.m. EDT.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 24, 1:35 PM EST, 4 hours 57 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 24, 1:35 PM EST, 4 hours 57 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOUNT HOLLY NJ
235 PM EDT SAT AUG 24 2002

SCTD TSTMS DVLPG ALONG THE COLD FRONT IN PA. NOT SURE IF THEY WILL HOLD
TOGETHER AS THEY HEAD E DUE TO THE CLOUDS AND OCEAN FLOW HELPING KEEP
THE BLYR STABLE. HOWEVER...IF THE CLOUDS AND BREAK FOR AN HOUR OR TWO
ALLOWING SUNSHINE...THEN THE TSTMS WOULD CONT TO DVLP AND PSBLY INCR IN
INTENSITY TOO. CURRENTLY, I THINK ACTIVITY SHOULD REMAIN SCTD. ALSO,
THE ONLY TSTMS THAT WOULD HAVE STRONG WINDS IN THE FCST AREA WILL
PROBABLY DVLP UPSTREAM.

BY MIDNIGHT...ALL PCPN SHOULD BE GONE, WITH CLEARING BY MRNG. SOME
CU/STRATOCU DVLPS FROM HEATING SUN...OTHERWISE MOSTLY CLEAR SKIES
THROUGH SUN NIGHT. MON...ALL MODELS INDICATE THE JET STREAM LIFTING N
AND THE FCST AREA UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF A CLOSED UPPER LOW TO THE W.
THIS SHOULD ALLOW MOISTURE AND THEREBY CLOUDS TO INCREASE DURING
MONDAY...ESPECIALLY SOUTH. FOR NOW...I WILL GO FOR INCR CLDS S BUT KEEP
MOSTLY SUNNY NORTH.

TEMPS...MET GUIDANCE GENLY LOOKS GOOD.

SOME PATCHY FOG COULD DVLP TNGT SINCE IT RAINED TODAY AND WITH THE
CLEARING SKIES TEMPS SHOULD DROP TO THE DEWPTS. HOWEVER...WITH THE CAA,
THERE MAY BE ENOUGH LINGERING GRADIENT TO PREVENT ITS FORMATION, SO I
WILL LEAVE IT OUT FOR NOW.

.PHI...
DE...NONE.
MD...NONE.
NJ...NONE.
PA...NONE.
MARINE...NONE.

RNS

The radar

The Philadelphia radar (KDIX), 62 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:33 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Philadelphia

When: August 24, 6:32 PM EST to 7:13 PM EST
Where: Philadelphia County, Philadelphia
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 40.008, -75.134 (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

Every storm in Pennsylvania in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in Pennsylvania, August 2002

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: 5319759.