Flood, Berks
- When
- February 6, 3:08 PM EST to February 7, 1:26 AM EST
- Where
- Berks forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 40.416, -75.926 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flood in Pennsylvania, February 6 to 7, 2004
The combination of heavy rain and snow melt caused poor drainage and creek flooding in the southern part of Berks County. Heavier rain fell from the late morning into the middle of the evening on the 6th.
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
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.
The combination of heavy rain and snow melt caused poor drainage and creek flooding in the southern part of Berks County. Heavier rain fell from the late morning into the middle of the evening on the 6th. The Manatawny Creek at Spangville was above its 6 foot flood stage from 308 p.m. EST on the 6th through 126 a.m. EST on the 7th. It crested at 6.44 feet at 815 p.m. EST on the 6th. Storm totals included 2.01 inches in Bechtelsville, 1.94 inches in Reading and 1.20 inches in Hamburg.The low pressure system responsible for the heavy rain developed in the western Gulf of Mexico on the 5th. It moved northeast reaching the Tennessee Valley on the evening of the 5th and into the Great Lakes on the morning of the 6th. Its associated warm front moved north from the Carolinas on the morning of the 6th into the lower Delmarva Peninsula during the afternoon of the 6th before stalling. The occluded front associated with the primary low pressure system (It went northeast from the Great Lakes through the Saint Lawrence River Valley) moved through the region during the evening of the 6th and ended the rain. Precipitation initially started as a wintry mix during the late evening of the 5th and changed over to plain rain during the morning of the 6th. Berks County suffered both damage from the icing on trees and wires as well as flooding later during the day.
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 Feb 6, 2:15 PM EST, 53 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Feb 6, 2:15 PM EST, 53 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION - UPDATED/CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOUNT HOLLY NJ
215 PM EST FRI FEB 6 2004
THE WINTER STORM WARNING FOR FREEZING RAIN WILL BE EXTENDED INTO
THIS EVENING FOR THE HIGHER TERRAIN LOCATIONS IN MONROE AND CARBON
AS TEMPERATURES HAVE STOPPED RISING. IT WILL BE DROPPED FOR SUSSEX.
SECONDARY DVLPG IN NJ HAS BACKED WINDS MORE INTO THE NNE AND WITH
THE SETTING SUN ARRIVING AND NOT GIVING ANY ADTNL INDIRECT
INSOLATION HELP WE FELT IT PRUDENT TO EXTEND THE WRNG FOR HIER TRRN
LOCNS THRU THIS EVE. MOST OF THE VLY LOCNS ARE ABV FRZG.
TFG/AMC
PREV AFD ********************************************************
WHILE THERE ARE STILL LIKELY A FEW POCKETS OF ICE IN BERKS COUNTY,
THE LEHIGH VALLEY AND WARREN COUNTY WEVE LET THE WINTER STORM
WARNING EXPIRE THERE. WELL KEEP IT GOING UNTIL 300 PM IN THE
POCONOS AND IN SUSSEX COUNTY, NEW JERSEY WHERE TEMPS ARE GENERALLY
AT OR SLIGHTLY BELOW FREEZING.
A FRONT EXTENDED FROM ABOUT SANDY HOOK TO MOUNT HOLLY TO SMYRNA DE
TO EASTON MD AT MIDDAY. THAT BOUNDARY SEPARATES MILD AIR BUILDING
IN FROM THE OCEAN FROM THE REMNANTS OF THE RIDGE THAT EXTENDED DOWN
THE LEE OF THE APPALACHIANS. OUR THINKING IS THAT THE HEAVY RAIN
WILL CONTINUE TO SCOUR OUT MUCH OF THE LEFTOVER COLD AIR TO THE
NORTHWEST OF THE FRONT ALLOWING MOST LOCATIONS TO GET WELL UP INTO
THE 30S IF NOT INTO THE LOWER 40S.
.PHI WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
PA...WINTER STORM WARNING THRU THIS EVENING PAZ054-055.
FLOOD WATCH THIS AFTERNOON INTO SAT PAZ060>062-067>071.
NJ...FLOOD WATCH THIS AFTERNOON INTO SAT NJZ007>010-012-013-015>019.
DE...FLOOD WATCH THIS AFTERNOON INTO SAT DEZ001.
MD...FLOOD WATCH THIS AFTERNOON INTO SAT MDZ008.
MARINE...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FROM SANDY HOOK NJ TO FENWICK ISLAND DE
AND FOR LOWER DELAWARE BAY.
IOVINOHazardous weather outlook, Feb 6, 5:25 AM EST, 9 hours 43 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...CORRECTED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOUNT HOLLY NJ 525 AM EST FRI FEB 6 2004 DEZ001>004-MDZ008-012-015-019-020-NJZ001-007>010-012>027-PAZ054-055- 060>062-067>071-061215- ATLANTIC NJ-ATLANTIC COASTAL CAPE MAY NJ-BERKS PA-BUCKS PA-CAMDEN NJ- CAPE MAY NJ-CARBON PA-CAROLINE MD-CECIL MD-CHESTER PA- COASTAL ATLANTIC NJ-COASTAL OCEAN NJ-CUMBERLAND NJ-DELAWARE PA- DELAWARE BEACHES DE-EASTERN MONMOUTH NJ-GLOUCESTER NJ-HUNTERDON NJ- INLAND SUSSEX DE-KENT MD-KENT DE-LEHIGH PA-MERCER NJ-MIDDLESEX NJ- MONROE PA-MONTGOMERY PA-MORRIS NJ-NEW CASTLE DE-NORTHAMPTON PA- NORTHWESTERN BURLINGTON NJ-OCEAN NJ-PHILADELPHIA PA-QUEEN ANNES MD- SALEM NJ-SOMERSET NJ-SOUTHEASTERN BURLINGTON NJ-SUSSEX NJ-TALBOT MD- WARREN NJ-WESTERN MONMOUTH NJ- 525 AM EST FRI FEB 6 2004 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EAST CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA...DELAWARE...THE NORTHERN MARYLAND EASTERN SHORE...AND NEW JERSEY EXCLUDING THE FIVE NORTHEAST COUNTIES. .DAY ONE...TODAY A WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE LEHIGH VALLEY IN PENNSYLVANIA AND WARREN COUNTY IN NEW JERSEY THIS MORNING... AND FOR THE SOUTHERN POCONOS IN PENNSYLVANIA AND SUSSEX COUNTY IN NEW JERSEY INTO THE AFTERNOON. SOUTH OF THE WARNING AREA... EXCEPT FOR CAPE MAY COUNTY AND COASTAL ZONES IN NEW JERSEY AND SUSSEX COUNTY IN DELAWARE...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORIES ARE IN EFFECT THIS MORNING FOR FREEZING RAIN. A FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT THIS AFTERNOON INTO SATURDAY FOR NORTHERN DELAWARE, EXTREME NORTHEASTERN MARYLAND, SOUTHEASTERN PENNSYLVANIA, AND MUCH OF SOUTHWESTERN AND CENTRAL NEW JERSEY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... ANOTHER STORM COULD AFFECT THE REGION TUESDAY AFTERNOON INTO WEDNESDAY. .SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT...SPOTTERS ARE REQUESTED TO CALL IN REPORTS OF FREEZING PRECIPITATION AND SNOW AMOUNTS. RPW
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
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
- Cold in Illinois, February 6, 2004
- Flash Flood in Alabama, February 6, 2004
- Flooding in Pennsylvania, February 6 to 7, 2004
- Winter Weather in New York, February 6, 2004
- Flooding in Ohio, February 6 to 7, 2004
- Winter Weather in Vermont, February 6, 2004
- Lightning Strike in Alabama, February 6, 2004
- Damaging Wind in Georgia, February 6, 2004
- Ice Storm in Pennsylvania, February 6, 2004
- Damaging Wind in Florida, February 6, 2004
- Winter Weather in New Hampshire, February 6 to 7, 2004
- Ice Storm in North Carolina, February 6, 2004
More
Every storm in Pennsylvania in 2004Every state in 2004This day in weather historyWarnings in Pennsylvania, February 2004
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: 5392827.