Flooding in Pennsylvania, March 2 to 3, 2007

The Brandywine Creek overflowed on the 2nd, flooding the intersection of Creek Road (Route 100) in Birmingham Township. In Westtown, Route 926 (Street Road) was closed at the intersections of Shiloh Road and Westtown Road. A short section of Ring Road just south of Route 1 was also closed. Route 926 was closed between Pocopson and Creek Roads in Birmingham and Pocopson, as was the intersection of Pughtown Road and the Barton Meadows development in East Vincent. The intersection of Route 1 and Route 100 in Pennsbury had flooded shoulders due to rising water levels. A man and woman were rescued on Route 926 in Birmingham after their vehicle became stranded in flood waters. At least one motorist was stranded and was rescued by boat by West Chester’s Fame Fire Company after they became stuck between a bridge along Route 926 and Creek Road. Their minivan tried to go through the water and got stuck. In New Garden Township, 3.65 inches of rain was reported, while Exton and West Chester received 2.20 inches and 1.67 inches respectfully. The swollen Brandywine flooded the Brandywine Picnic Park and encroached into a parking lot of Simon Pearce on Lenape Road. Damage to property across the county was reported as negligible.|Due to nearly 3.6 inches of rain across southern Chester County, the Little Elk Creek jumped out its banks early on the 2nd. Flooding along the Brandywine was significant enough early on the 2nd to give students in the Unionville-Chadds Ford School District a three-day weekend. The flooding produced road closures on Route 926 in Westtown and Birmingham Townships, with some areas under four to five feet of water. One vehicle stalled out in the deep water and the motorist had to be rescued. Creek Road (Route 100) had a couple inches of water on it in Birmingham Township due to heavy rain and runoff early on the 2nd. Some parts of Creek Road had mud on it from the Brandywine. |Some local gauged waterways that experienced flooding are as follows: The Brandywine Creek at Chadds Ford rose above its flood stage of 9.0 feet at 9:09 AM EST on the 2nd, crested at 10.89 feet at 6:14 PM EST on the 2nd and dropped below flood stage at 1:49 AM EST on the 3rd. The East Branch Brandywine at Downingtown rose above its flood stage of 7.0 feet at 4:21 AM EST, crested at 10.20 feet at 10:45 AM EST and dropped below floods stage at 4:31 PM EST. The West Branch Brandywine at Honey Brook went above the flood stage of 7.0 feet at 5:50 AM EST, crested at 8.31 feet at 9:15 AM EST and dropped below flood stage at 1:05 PM EST. The French Creek at Phoenixville jumped above its flood stage of 8.0 feet at 5:45 AM EST, crested at 8.71 feet at 8:00 AM EST and dropped below flood stage at 4:37 PM EST. The Valley Creek at Valley Forge went above the flood stage of 7.0 feet at 5:58 AM EST, crested at 7.35 feet at 7:15 AM EST and dropped below flood stage at 9:15 AM EST. (all times on the 2nd).

The Unionville-Chadds Ford School District closed all its schools on the 2nd due to the overflowing Brandywine Creek, which caused the closing of the intersections of U.S. Route 1 and Creek Road in Chadds Ford, and Route 52 and Creek Road. The Brandywine River Museum in Chadds Ford, located on Route 1 near Creek Road (Route 100), was also closed due to the flooding of nearby roads. The roadways began to reopen on the 3rd. Flood waters from the Brandywine River covered a stretch of Ring Road in Chadds Ford, closing that roadway.|Some local gauged waterways that experienced flooding are as follows: The Brandywine Creek at Chadds Ford rose above its flood stage of 9.0 feet at 9:09 AM EST on the 2nd, crested at 10.89 feet at 6:14 PM EST on the 2nd and dropped below flood stage at 1:49 AM EST on the 3rd. The Chester Creek at Chester rose above its flood stage of 8.0 feet at 6:08 AM EST, crested at 9.59 feet at 8:30 AM EST and dropped below flood stage at 12:54 PM EST. The Crum Creek at Newtown Square jumped above its flood stage of 6.0 feet at 4:55 AM, crested at 6.82 feet at 7:15 AM EST and dropped below flood stage at 10:41 AM EST. (all times on the 2nd).

Flooding occurred along the Perkiomen Creek, which closed at least nine roads early on the 2nd. The Perkiomen Creek at East Greenville rose above its flood stage of 4.0 feet at 5:19 AM EST, crested at 5.48 feet at 9:45 AM EST and then dropped below its flood stage at 2:10 PM EST. The Wissahickon Creek at Fort Washington surpassed its flood stage of 9.0 feet at 7:25 AM EST, crested at 9.50 feet at 9:00 AM EST and then dropped below flood stage at 10:12 AM EST. The Manatawny Creek at Pottstown rose above its flood stage of 6.0 feet at 6:25 AM EST, crested at 7.48 feet at 2:15 PM EST and then dropped below flood stage at 7:12 PM EST. The East Branch Perkiomen at Schwenksville rose above its flood stage of 7.0 feet at 7:13 AM EST, crested at 7.82 feet at 11:30 AM EST and then dropped below flood stage at 2:18 PM EST. (all times on the 2nd).

A total of 1.52 inches of rain was measured on the 2nd at the Reading Airport. Other rainfall amounts included, 1.97 inches in Bernville; 1.73 inches in Boyer’s Junction; 1.65 inches in Vinemont; 1.63 inches in Center City; 1.57 inches in Fleetwood and Reinholds; 1.42 inches in Oley; and 1.30 inches in Gibraltar. This amount of rain, combined with melting of leftover snow and ice, produced areas of flooding.|A storm pipe under Old Route 22 near Shartlesville was washed out due to the heavy rainfall. Several people in two cars got stuck in about 2 feet of water on Landis Store Road in District Township shortly after 3 PM EST. Eight occupants of two passing cars pushed the vehicles to safety before firefighters arrived. Officials with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation reported that about a dozen roads in Berks County were closed due to flooding, including part of Route 422 in Amity Township and Main Street in Leesport. Other roads that were closed included, Huller Lane and Allentown Pike in Ontelaunee Township; Green Valley Road in Lower Heidelberg Township; Bertolet Mill Road in Oley Township; Moselem Springs Road in Richmond Township; Creek Road and Stony Run Valley Road in Albany Township; Crystal Cave Road in Richmond; and Christmas Village Road in Jefferson Township. Flooding occurred on the 2nd along Route 143 in Ontelaunee across from the old swimming pool, due to rain and melting snow. A car went into the flooded ditch along Route 143. Flooding waterlogged some vehicles in Maxatawney Township and Kutztown.

Heavy rain combined with snowmelt caused flooding on Bake Oven Road in Heidelberg Township, closing the road early on the 3rd after a local stream left its banks. The flooding occurred between Routes 309 and 100. Hokendauqua Park and a nearby playground were flooded on the 3rd after the Hokendauqua Creek overflowed its banks. Shortly after 10:30 PM EST on the 2nd, high water from heavy rain flooded Wild Cherry Lane between Lower Macungie Road and Sauerkraut Road in Macungie Township, which trapped a motorist. The person climbed out onto the trunk of their car and was rescued by firefighters. The Catasauqua Creek overflowed its banks on the 2nd at the intersection of Walnut and St. John streets in Catasauqua.|Allentown fire officials reported that minor flooding occurred in parts of the city early on the 2nd. The main trouble spots were confined mostly to Upper Macungie and Lower Macungie. The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation closed roads in Heidelberg, Lynn and South Whitehall townships due to flooding. Schantz Road, between Hamilton Boulevard and Cetronia Road, and Spring Creek Road, between Route 100 and Lower Macungie Road, were closed for much of the 2nd. Flooding also occurred along the Jordan Creek in Whitehall early on the 2nd.|Some local gauged waterways that experienced flooding are as follows: The Little Lehigh River at Allentown went above the flood stage of 6.0 feet at 9:35 AM EST, crested at 6.16 feet at 6:00 PM EST and dropped below flood stage at 7:45 PM EST. The Monocacy Creek at Bethlehem went above the flood of 4.5 feet at 6:43 AM EST, crested at 5.69 feet at 2:45 PM EST and dropped below flood stage at 6:54 PM EST. (all times on the 2nd).

Rising water levels on the 2nd in Bushkill Township pushed water, which threatened the signs at Bushkill Park. In addition, a creek overflowed and flooded the intersection of Sullivan Trail and Newlins Road West in Forks Township, making the road all but impassable. A vehicle was floating in the flood waters, however no injuries were reported. Also in Forks Township, water covered Kesslersville Road near Hunter Street following heavy rain late on the 1st and into the 2nd. Easton Avenue at Willow Park Road in Bethlehem Township, Van Buren Road near Nazareth Road in Palmer Township and Route 512 between Hanoverville Road and Jacksonville Road in East Allen Township were some of the most trouble spots. At some points, cars were flooded out as waters rose 2 feet high. In Bethlehem, the Monocacy and Saucon Creeks overflowed and swamped some streets and city parks. The Saucon Park in south Bethlehem was covered by water anywhere from a foot and a half to 3 feet deep. The Monacacy also spilled over into the Colonial Industrial Quarter near Main Street, and rougher waters upstream may have damaged pavilions at Monocacy Park near Illick’s Mill. A few Bethlehem side streets also flooded in the usual, low-lying areas. Elizabeth Avenue was the only major road affected. Flooding along the Monocacy closed one lane of the road at the Paint Mill Bridge. A car was submerged on Route 512 just north of Locust Road in East Allen Township early on the 2nd. Rescuers later learned that the female motorist escaped the car.|In Bethlehem Township, the portion of Green Pond Road between Farmersville and Country Club roads remained closed on the 6th due to lingering flooding. The Monocacy Creek at Bethlehem went above the flood of 4.5 feet at 6:43 AM EST, crested at 5.69 feet at 2:45 PM EST and dropped below flood stage at 6:54 PM EST (all on the 2nd).

Heavy rain and snowmelt on the 2nd in West Penn Township caused flooding of many roads and basements. A power outage lasted more than three hours, which affected the West Penn Elementary School, a mini mart on Route 309 and 895, along with a day care and other businesses and residences. PPL Electric reported the outage was a result of a water soaked tree limb that took down a phase wire. The outage occurred at 6:04 AM EST on the 2nd, with the power restored at 9:23 AM EST. With the water covering many roads, travel was hampered as motorists had to avoid hydroplaning. In Mahoning Township, heavy erosion due to rainfall runoff occurred on the shoulder of Twin Crest Drive at Keiser Lane.

On the 2nd, the Wissahickon Creek at its mouth in Philadelphia surpassed its flood stage of 5.0 feet at 7:04 AM EST, crested at 5.42 feet at 12:30 PM EST and then dropped below flood stage at 2:50 PM EST. Also on the 2nd, the Pennypack Creek at the Rhawn Street Bridge rose above its flood stage of 7.0 feet at 6:48 AM EST, crested at 8.09 feet at 10:00 AM EST and then dropped below flood stage at 1:18 PM EST.

Early on the 2nd, the borough of Croydon briefly experienced some minor street flooding, with two homes being surrounded by water as the Neshaminy Creek neared flood stage. Flooding also occurred along the Neshaminy Creek at Langhorne. |The Neshaminy Creek at Langhorne climbed above its flood stage of 9.0 feet at 10:00 AM EST, crested at 9.46 feet at 12:00 PM EST and dropped below flood stage at 2:57 PM EST (all on the 2nd).