Slow moving, heavy rain producing thunderstorms crossed the metropolitan areas of Northeast Pennsylvania during the late afternoon and evening. Rainfall amounts between 3 and 6 inches over a span from 90 minutes to 2 hours were common in many areas.
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.
Slow moving, heavy rain producing thunderstorms crossed the metropolitan areas of Northeast Pennsylvania during the late afternoon and evening. Rainfall amounts between 3 and 6 inches over a span from 90 minutes to 2 hours were common in many areas. These intense rainfall rates led to areas of urban and small stream flash flooding throughout Lackawanna county.
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 Jul 30, 2:29 PM EST, 2 hours 33 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Binghamton NY 329 PM EDT SAT JUL 30 2016 .SYNOPSIS... A low over Virginia will slowly move north and east the next couple days bringing showers and thunderstorms to the area tonight and Sunday. Some of the rain may be heavy. Drier air will move into the area late Monday and Tuesday. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 AM SUNDAY MORNING/... Ltl wv punching into the back of the deep moisture feed over the ern U.S. This is dvlpg a sfc low over ern OH that will trudge slowly ewrd ovrngt into Sunday. This system will inturn slowly dvlp a sely ll jet into the area feeding moisture under a fvrbl 300 mb jet structure. So while rain will tend to run out east this aftn and eve, it will also tend to redvlp over ern PA and pull back across the fcst area. Instability will cont to mrgnl but with the dvlpg jet, isltd tstms certainly psbl. Pwats increase ovrngt to nearly 2 inches with the moisture feed so rainfall amts could be heavy. Good news is ll wind structure does not seem to favor MBE vectors that wld indicate persistant rain. Still, every drought seems to end with a flood and training cells could be a prblm. Shrt term flood watches are psbl as the event dvlps. Attm it looks like the best chance for heavy rain will be over the Poconos and Catskills and perhaps into the ern Finger Lakes. && .SHORT TERM /6 AM SUNDAY MORNING THROUGH TUESDAY/... Loos like the heaviest rain will push east of the fcst area Sunday mrng lvg the fcst area with plenty of ll moisture but drying abv. Sndg looks pretty stable so clds may be slow to brk up and a lgt shwr remains psbl into the aftn...esp in the east. Upr trof slowly swings thru Mon keeping the area slgtly unstable and unsettled. Hgts begin to blds as drier air mves in Tue. Highs Mon with limited sun only in the 70s, but with incrsd sun Tue temps return to the 80s, xcpt in the wrn Cats where to cooler air hangs on a bit. && .LONG TERM /TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY/... Overall a great summer week on tap as upper level heights rise across much of the continental United States with a broad flat ridge developing over much of the country as the prevailing westerlies are lifted into southern Canada. The week will become increasingly more hot and humid as surface high pressure moves from the vicinity to coastal New England by late week. Next chance for showers/thunderstorms will be late Friday into Saturday morning when the next cold front is expected to cross the area. The best chance for convection looks to be Friday night. Temperatures will start near seasonal levels then rise to 5 to 10 degrees above normal by late week before the frontal passage. && .AVIATION /19Z SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/... A mid level wave passing through this afternoon will produce occasional MVFR/below alt required conditions at KITH/KELM/KBGM/KAVP in showers and thunderstorms. Thunderstorms are only in the KAVP TAF where instability is best. Except for KAVP there will be a break in convection before the next wave impacts the terminals. Later tonight between 06Z-09Z another round of primarily showers with embedded thunderstorms will impact the terminals. Widespread conditions below alt required are expected with occasional IFR conditions in heavier convection primarily between 09Z-14Z. At KAVP the second wave will impact the terminal earlier around 03Z with the heavier activity between 05Z-09Z. Conditions will remain mvfr until 18z with showers and haze. Easterly winds around 5 knots. OUTLOOK... Sun night - Monday...Restrictions possible with showers and thunderstorms. Monday night - Thursday...VFR. && .BGM WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... PA...None. NY...None. && SYNOPSIS...DGM NEAR TERM...DGM SHORT TERM...DGM LONG TERM...RRM AVIATION...RRM
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BINGHAMTON NY 410 AM EDT SAT JUL 30 2016 NYZ009-015>018-022>025-036-037-044>046-055>057-062-PAZ038>040-043- 044-047-048-072-310815- NORTHERN ONEIDA-YATES-SENECA-SOUTHERN CAYUGA-ONONDAGA-STEUBEN- SCHUYLER-CHEMUNG-TOMPKINS-MADISON-SOUTHERN ONEIDA-CORTLAND-CHENANGO- OTSEGO-TIOGA-BROOME-DELAWARE-SULLIVAN-BRADFORD-SUSQUEHANNA- NORTHERN WAYNE-WYOMING-LACKAWANNA-LUZERNE-PIKE-SOUTHERN WAYNE- 410 AM EDT SAT JUL 30 2016 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL NEW YORK AND NORTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING HEAVY RAINFALL ARE POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS THE TWIN TIERS AND NORTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA. ANOTHER ROUND OF WIDESPREAD HEAVY RAIN SHOWERS WITH EMBEDDED THUNDERSTORMS IS EXPECTED LATER THIS EVENING AND TONIGHT...AND MAY LIFT FURTHER NORTH INTO CENTRAL NEW YORK. THE COMBINATION OF THESE TWO RAIN EVENTS MAY PRODUCE LOCALIZED FLOODING CONCERNS...MAINLY IN POORLY DRAINED URBAN AREAS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BINGHAMTON NY
511 PM EDT SAT JUL 30 2016
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0500 PM FLOOD DUNMORE 41.42N 75.61W
07/30/2016 LACKAWANNA PA EMERGENCY MNGR
BRIDE AFFECTED BY HIGH WATER IN DUNMORE... STREET
FLOODING IN SCRANTON
&&
BGMPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BINGHAMTON NY
513 PM EDT SAT JUL 30 2016
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0500 PM FLOOD DUNMORE 41.42N 75.61W
07/30/2016 LACKAWANNA PA EMERGENCY MNGR
BRIDGE AFFECTED BY HIGH WATER IN DUNMORE
&&
CORRECTED REMARKS
BGMPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BINGHAMTON NY
515 PM EDT SAT JUL 30 2016
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0505 PM FLOOD SCRANTON 41.40N 75.67W
07/30/2016 LACKAWANNA PA EMERGENCY MNGR
STREET FLOODING IN SCRANTON /TAYLOR /COVINGTON /DUNMORE
&&
BGMPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BINGHAMTON NY
522 PM EDT SAT JUL 30 2016
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0522 PM HEAVY RAIN SPRINGBROOK CORNERS 41.30N 75.60W
07/30/2016 M3.10 INCH LACKAWANNA PA TRAINED SPOTTER
3.1 INCHES SINCE EARLY AFTERNOON... 2.0 INCHES LAST HR
&&
BGMThe Binghamton radar (KBGM), 90 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:01 UTC.
2 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Significant urban and small stream flash flooding occurred throughout the City of Scranton and other metropolitan Boroughs in the Lackawanna Valley. The most notable damage was reported on Brook Street, and also on Lindy Street.
Significant small stream flash flooding and street flooding occurred in and around Moscow. Roaring Brook washed over Brook Road near Route 690 for more than an hour.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Pennsylvania in 2016Every state in 2016This day in weather historyWarnings in Pennsylvania, July 2016
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: 651750, 651752.