Isolated thunderstorm clusters associated with a passing cold front and upper level disturbance produced significant urban flooding around the Scranton metropolitan area.
Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
The episode as NWS BGM wrote it up.
Isolated thunderstorm clusters associated with a passing cold front and upper level disturbance produced significant urban flooding around the Scranton metropolitan area.
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 Binghamton, NY wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Oct 15, 4:12 PM EST, 1 hour 6 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BINGHAMTON NY
512 PM EDT WED OCT 15 2014
.SYNOPSIS...
SHOWERS OCCASIONALLY HEAVY AT TIMES WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE
OVERNIGHT PERIOD. A FRONT WILL CROSS THE AREA ON THURSDAY BRINGING
AN END TO THE SHOWERS. THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY WILL BE
PRIMARILY DRY WITH THE NEXT CHANCE FOR SHOWERS FRIDAY NIGHT INTO SATURDAY
AS A COLD FRONT CROSSES THE REGION.
&&
.NEAR TERM /THROUGH THURSDAY/...
5 PM UPDATE...
FOR SYNOPTIC REASONS ALREADY MENTIONED BELOW...AND FOR RAINFALL
AMOUNTS ALREADY APPARENT IN OUR NEPA ZONES AND FARTHER SOUTH...WE
HAVE ELECTED TO GO AHEAD AND HOIST A FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR NEPA AS
WELL AS TIOGA-BROOME-DELAWARE-SULLIVAN NY /MUCH OF THAT AREA
ALREADY ALSO AN ONGOING ADVISORY FOR MORE MINOR ISSUES/. WITH THE
ANOMALOUSLY DEEP WARM CLOUD LAYER...DUAL POL RADAR HAS SIGNIFICANTLY
UNDERESTIMATED RAINFALL SO FAR...ESPECIALLY IN AREAS PRONE TO
UPSLOPE ENHANCEMENTS FROM SOUTHEAST FLOW. SEVERAL MESONET SITES IN
LUZERNE ARE ALREADY OVER 2 INCHES. WE ARE ABLE TO TAKE THIS
INITIAL SHOT OF RAIN WELL DUE TO DRY ANTECEDENT CONDITIONS /OTHER
THAN CLOGGED DRAINS FROM DOWNED LEAVES AND URBAN PONDING/...BUT
LATEST HIGH RES MODELS AND SOME OPERATIONAL MODELS ARE SUGGESTING
AT LEAST ANOTHER COUPLE ROUNDS OF MODERATE TO AT TIMES HEAVY
RAINFALL OVERNIGHT...INJECTED WITH TROPICAL MOISTURE DUE TO
NEGATIVELY TILTED NATURE OF THIS SYSTEM. SO THE RAIN NOW IS JUST
SETTING THE STAGE...THE ADDITIONAL BOUTS MAY CAUSE LOCALIZED SHORT
FUSE FLOOD PROBLEMS...OF A FLASHY NATURE. MAIN STEM RIVERS/LARGE
STREAMS SHOULD BE FINE BECAUSE THERE IS A LOT OF ROOM TO WORK
WITH. THE CONCERN IS FOR CREEKS/SMALL STREAMS AND POOR DRAINAGE
AREAS LIKE URBAN LOCATIONS.
PREVIOUS DISCUSSION...
UPPER LEVEL LOW OVER THE OHIO VALLEY WILL GRADUALLY LIFT NORTH
INTO THE NIAGARA PENINSULA BY THURSDAY AFTERNOON. AS THIS OCCURS
THE SFC LOW WILL TRACK FROM THE SAME VCNTY NORTH INTO NEARBY
SOUTHERN ONTARIO BY THURSDAY AFTERNOON. FOR THE NEXT 18 HOURS A
DEEP VERY MOIST S/SE FLOW WILL PERSIST OVER THE REGION. THIS
COMBINED WITH STRONG UPPER LEVEL DIVERGENCE, PWATS AROUND 1.80
INCHES A FAIRLY DEEP WARM CLOUD LAYER FOR EARLY FALL WILL RESULT
IN A WIDESPREAD RAINFALL OF AT LEAST 1.25 INCHES ACROSS THE
REGION. FROM SYR SOUTH THROUGH THE BGM AREA AND INTO THE WYOMING
VALLEY AND POINTS EAST WILL LIKELY SEE AT LEAST 1.50 INCHES WITH
UPSLOPE AREAS IN THE POCONOS/CATSKILLS WITH LOCALIZED AMOUNTS OF
2-3 INCHES. DUE TO THE MARGINAL INSTABILITY IN PLACE ISOLATED
THUNDERSTORMS ARE ALSO POSSIBLE THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING.
WITH THE RECENT DRY WEATHER OVER THE REGION MAIN STEM RIVER
FLOODING IS NOT EXPECTED ALTHOUGH URBAN AND POOR DRAINAGE
FLOODING IS POSSIBLE ESPECIALLY DUE TO THE RECENT FALLEN LEAVES.
DUE TO THE ABOVE MENTIONED MET CONDITIONS THINGS WILL BE
MONITORED WITH A FLASH FLOOD WATCH POSSIBLE BY LATER SHIFTS
DEPENDING HOW THINGS UNFOLD.
THURSDAY MORNING CONDITIONS WILL IMPROVE AS THE SFC OCCLUSION MOVES
THROUGH THE AREA.
&&
.SHORT TERM /THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY/...
THURSDAY NIGHT/FRIDAY...SYSTEM WILL LIFT SLOWLY NORTH INTO EASTERN
CANADA WITH REGION UNDER A FAIRLY DRY SOUTHWEST FLOW. HIGHS ON
FRIDAY WILL RANGE IN THE 60S.
FRIDAY NIGHT/SATURDAY...UPPER LEVEL LOW NOW MOVING INTO THE
NORTHWEST US WILL TRACK INTO THE UPPER GREAT LAKES AND CARVE OUT
ANOTHER DEEP UPPER LEVEL TROF WITH THIS CURRENT FEATURE AND PUSH A
SFC COLD FRONT THROUGH ON SATURDAY. WILL CONTINUE WITH CHC/SLIGHT
CHC POPS DURING THIS PERIOD.
&&
.LONG TERM /SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY/...
S/WV EMBEDDED IN THE NWLY FLOW BEHIND THE PARTING UPR LOW WILL
PASS THROUGH THE RGN IN THE SAT NGT/SUNDAY TIME FRAME. ANOTHER
S/WV APRCHS FOR MON NGT/TUE AND PASSES TO OUR SOUTH. CARRIED LOW
CHC POPS FOR BOTH OF THESE SYSTEMS. IN BETWEEN THEM...GNRLY FAIR
WX. HPC GUIDANCE LOOKED GREAT AND WAS USED FOR THE MED RNG. TEMPS
GNRLY BLO NORMAL WITH MAXES U40S TO M50S...MINS 30-35.
&&
.AVIATION /21Z WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY/...
OVERVIEW...WDSPRD IFR/MVFR THIS AFTN INTO TNGT WITH SVRL SITES
REACHING ALT MINS.
UPR LOW AND ASSCD FNTL SYSTEM/SFC WAVES WILL BRING RAIN AND
ISOLATED TSRA TO THE FCST AREA THIS AFTN AND TNGT. BANDS OF +RA
ACCOMPANIED BY IFR/LIFR. BULK OF THE PCPN WILL TAPER OFF BETWEEN
06-12Z...BUT AREAS OF FOG MAY DVLP BEHIND THIS PCPN. SOME IMPRVMNT
PSBL ON THU MRNG AS DRIER AIR BRIEFLY WORKS INTO THE RGN.
WINDS THIS AFTN GNRLY SELY AT 10-15 KTS..WITH G20 PSBL. FLOW BECMG
MORE SRLY ARND 10 KTS TWDS DAYBREAK.
OUTLOOK...
THU NGT...MVFR IN SCT -SHRA.
FRI/FRI NGT...VFR.
SAT/SAT NGT...MVFR WITH -SHRA PSBL.
SUN...IMPRVG TO VFR.
MON...VFR.
&&
.BGM WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
PA...FLASH FLOOD WATCH THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING FOR PAZ038>040-043-
044-047-048-072.
NY...FLASH FLOOD WATCH THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING FOR NYZ055>057-062.
&&
SYNOPSIS...RRM
NEAR TERM...MDP/RRM
SHORT TERM...RRM
LONG TERM...
AVIATION...HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BINGHAMTON NY 429 PM EDT WED OCT 15 2014 NYZ009-015>018-022>025-036-037-044>046-162030- NORTHERN ONEIDA-YATES-SENECA-SOUTHERN CAYUGA-ONONDAGA-STEUBEN- SCHUYLER-CHEMUNG-TOMPKINS-MADISON-SOUTHERN ONEIDA-CORTLAND-CHENANGO- OTSEGO- 429 PM EDT WED OCT 15 2014 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL NEW YORK. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. HEAVIER SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS COULD PRODUCE BRIEF GUSTY WINDS AND VERY HEAVY RAINFALL. LOCALLY HEAVY RAINS MAY ALSO PRODUCE MINOR URBAN FLOODING DUE TO FALLEN LEAVES BLOCKING STORM DRAINS AND CULVERTS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. NYZ055>057-062-PAZ038>040-043-044-047-048-072-162030- TIOGA-BROOME-DELAWARE-SULLIVAN-BRADFORD-SUSQUEHANNA-NORTHERN WAYNE- WYOMING-LACKAWANNA-LUZERNE-PIKE-SOUTHERN WAYNE- 429 PM EDT WED OCT 15 2014 ...FLASH FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL NEW YORK...SOUTHEASTERN NEW YORK AND NORTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. PLEASE LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR GO TO WEATHER.GOV ON THE INTERNET FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FOLLOWING HAZARDS. FLASH FLOOD WATCH. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. PLEASE LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR GO TO WEATHER.GOV ON THE INTERNET FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FOLLOWING HAZARDS. FLASH FLOOD WATCH. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT HEAVY RAINFALL AMOUNTS OR IMPACTS INCLUDING FLOODING.
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BINGHAMTON NY
422 PM EDT WED OCT 15 2014
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0930 AM TSTM WND GST 4 E CORNING 42.15N 76.98W
10/15/2014 E60 MPH STEUBEN NY COUNTY OFFICIAL
SEVERAL TREES DOWN AND SHINGLE DAMAGE TO A HOUSE EAST
OF CORNING.
&&
MSEThe Binghamton radar (KBGM), 92 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:20 UTC.
2 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
There was major urban flooding taking place with ditches and storm drains spilling over and flooding streets. Water was flowing into homes in some parts of the city.
Major urban flooding was occurring in the Throop, Jessup, Archbald, Simpson and Jermyn areas. City streets and secondary roads were flooded with cars stuck in the water and water flowing into homes.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Pennsylvania in 2014Every state in 2014This day in weather historyWarnings in Pennsylvania, October 2014
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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 545879, 545880.