Pennsylvania, 2002

Flooding in Pennsylvania, March 26 to 27, 2002

March 26 to 27, 2002 · NWS CTP · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

A low pressure system over the Ohio Valley spread a large area of moderate to heavy rain across central Pennsylvania during Tuesday, March 26th. Total rainfall amounts averaged slightly in excess of 2 inches from this system.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 4 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
4

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 CTP wrote it up.

A low pressure system over the Ohio Valley spread a large area of moderate to heavy rain across central Pennsylvania during Tuesday, March 26th. Total rainfall amounts averaged slightly in excess of 2 inches from this system. In Clinton and Lycoming counties, many roads were flooded as several small creeks exceeded bankful.

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 State College, PA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 26, 12:40 PM EST, 5 hours 12 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 26, 12:40 PM EST, 5 hours 12 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE
1240 PM EST TUE MAR 26 2002

...NEW ZONES OUT AROUND 4 PM...

...CHANGES...

WILL KEEP FCST CLOSE TO WHAT WE HAVE NOW.

...DISC...

...SHORT TERM...

PCPN AMTS UPWARDS OF .5 YESTERDAY ACROSS N AND W AREAS...NOT MUCH
SE. SNOWFALL IN SOME N AND W AREAS UPWARDS OF 3 TO 7 INCHES...CENTRAL
AREAS TRACE TO 2 INCHES. SOME BAD SPOTS ON ROADS...BUT TIME OF DAY
MADE A BIG DIFFERENCE.

THICK CLOUD COVER...AND MAIN WARM FRONT WELL TO THE S...AND WITH
COOL AIR IN PLACE...HARD TO SEE ANY REAL BAD STORMS. ISOLATED
RUMBLES OF THUNDER SO FAR...COLDEST TOPS MOVING INTO AREA NOW.
INTERESTING AREA OF CONVECTION TRYING TO FIRE WELL TO THE S AND E OF
PA.

DIFFERENCE IN ECHO RETURNS S AND E OF UNV EARLIER. HEAVIEST RAIN
LOOKS LIKE IT WAS MOVING ACROSS THE REGION THAT GOT VERY LITTLE ON
MONDAY...BUT NOW TRYING TO LIFT NE ACROSS THAT AREA. STILL
THINKING AVERAGE 1.5 INCHES OF RAIN. HEAVIEST PRIOR TO 00Z N AND W
OF HAR...THEN SHIFTING DOWN THAT WAY FOR EVENING. CLOSE CALL FOR
FLOOD WATCH.

N AND W AREAS MAY MIX BRIEFLY WITH SNOW TONIGHT...BUT BULK
OF ACTION LIFTS NE.

...LONG TERM...

TREND TOWARD NEAR NORMAL TEMPS AND DRIER WX.
WEAK SYSTEMS FLYING THROUGH...BUT VERY LIMITED MOISTURE.
WILL KEEP BULK OF AREA DRY...EXCEPT FOR SOME AREAS ON FRIDAY INTO
EARLY SAT.

.CTP...NONE.

MARTIN

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

4 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Northern Clinton

When
March 26, 5:52 PM EST to March 27, 12:45 AM EST
Where
Northern Clinton forecast zone
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
41.234, -77.638 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Northern Lycoming

When
March 26, 5:52 PM EST to March 27, 12:45 AM EST
Where
Northern Lycoming forecast zone
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
41.343, -77.064 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Southern Clinton

When
March 26, 5:52 PM EST to March 27, 12:45 AM EST
Where
Southern Clinton forecast zone
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
41.234, -77.638 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Southern Lycoming

When
March 26, 5:52 PM EST to March 27, 12:45 AM EST
Where
Southern Lycoming forecast zone
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
41.343, -77.064 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Flood
Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Pennsylvania in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in Pennsylvania, March 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: 5323948, 5323949, 5323950, 5323951.