A slow moving frontal system brought moderate to heavy rains across much of central and north-central Pennsylvania during the overnight hours between October 20th and 21st. A very narrow band of intense rainfall developed over central Pennsylvania and extended into the higher terrain of Bradford county where 5 to 8 inches of rain fell within a 3 to 6 hour time span.
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.
A slow moving frontal system brought moderate to heavy rains across much of central and north-central Pennsylvania during the overnight hours between October 20th and 21st. A very narrow band of intense rainfall developed over central Pennsylvania and extended into the higher terrain of Bradford county where 5 to 8 inches of rain fell within a 3 to 6 hour time span. Flash flooding closed roads in several townships with some damage to bridges and culverts in the area. The Tunkhannock Creek in Monroeton exceeded flood stage by over 2 feet.
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 21, 1:20 AM EST, 40 minutes earlier.
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</html>HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BINGHAMTON NY 425 PM EDT THU OCT 20 2016 NYZ009-015>018-022>025-036-037-044-212030- NORTHERN ONEIDA-YATES-SENECA-SOUTHERN CAYUGA-ONONDAGA-STEUBEN- SCHUYLER-CHEMUNG-TOMPKINS-MADISON-SOUTHERN ONEIDA-CORTLAND- 425 PM EDT THU OCT 20 2016 ...FLASH FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT THROUGH LATE TONIGHT... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL NEW YORK. .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. PLEASE LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR GO TO WEATHER.GOV ON THE INTERNET FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FOLLOWING HAZARDS. FLASH FLOOD WATCH. IN ADDITION TO THE FLASH FLOOD THREAT, THERE IS THE RISK A FEW STORMS OVER THE SOUTHERN TIER COULD PRODUCE STRONG WINDS THIS EVENING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. RAIN WILL CONTINUE, HEAVY AT TIMES, FRIDAY. IN GENERAL, TOTAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 2 TO 4 INCHES ARE EXPECTED. HOWEVER, LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS ARE POSSIBLE. IN THESE INSTANCES, MINOR FLOODING COULD OCCUR, PARTICULARLY IN MORE URBANIZED AND OTHER POOR DRAINAGE AREAS. LOCALIZED FLASH FLOODING MAY ALSO CONTINUE TO BE POSSIBLE MAINLY EARLY IN THE DAY. HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. NYZ045-046-055>057-PAZ038>040-043-212030- CHENANGO-OTSEGO-TIOGA-BROOME-DELAWARE-BRADFORD-SUSQUEHANNA- NORTHERN WAYNE-WYOMING- 425 PM EDT THU OCT 20 2016 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL NEW YORK AND NORTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. RAIN IN SHOWERS AND STORMS TONIGHT COULD BE UP TO ANOTHER INCH OR TWO WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS POSSIBLE. THIS COULD LEAD TO URBAN AND POOR DRAINAGE FLOODING ESPECIALLY WHERE THERE ARE LEAF CLOGGED DRAINS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. RAIN, HEAVY AT TIMES, IS EXPECTED FRIDAY. UP TO ANOTHER INCH OF RAIN IS POSSIBLE. ISOLATED HEAVY RAIN COULD CAUSE HIGHER AMOUNTS AND MINOR FLOODING, PARTICULARLY IN MORE URBANIZED AND OTHER POOR DRAINAGE AREAS. HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. NYZ062-PAZ044-047-048-072-212030- SULLIVAN-LACKAWANNA-LUZERNE-PIKE-SOUTHERN WAYNE- 425 PM EDT THU OCT 20 2016 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL NEW YORK AND NORTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. RAIN AFFECTS THE AREA FOR FRIDAY INTO FRIDAY NIGHT BUT IS NOT EXPECTED TO BE ENOUGH TO CAUSE FLOODING ISSUES AS THE HEAVIEST STAYS NORTH AND WEST OF THE AREA. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BINGHAMTON NY
1114 PM EDT THU OCT 20 2016
PAZ038-210345-
BRADFORD PA-
1114 PM EDT THU OCT 20 2016
...STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT...SOUTHEASTERN BRADFORD COUNTY
UNTIL 1145 PM EDT...
AT 1113 PM EDT...DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM
OVER LE ROY...OR 9 MILES EAST OF CANTON...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH.
STRONG WIND GUSTS WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM.
LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
TOWANDA...WEST FRANKLIN...WYSOX...SHESHEQUIN...ULSTER...WILMOT...
NORTH TOWANDA...WEST BURLINGTON...MONROE AND NEW ALBANY.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
HEAVY RAINFALL IS ALSO OCCURRING WITH THIS STORM...AND MAY LEAD TO
MINOR FLOODING. DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE THROUGH FLOODED ROADWAYS.
FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING IS OCCURRING WITH THIS STORM.
LIGHTNING CAN STRIKE 10 MILES AWAY FROM A THUNDERSTORM. SEEK A SAFE
SHELTER INSIDE A BUILDING OR VEHICLE.
&&
LAT...LON 4157 7658 4159 7682 4173 7677 4197 7642
4158 7624 4155 7629
TIME...MOT...LOC 0313Z 236DEG 45KT 4166 7668
KAHThe Binghamton radar (KBGM), 94 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 07:01 UTC.
6 flash flood, 1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
There were several small streams and creeks out of their banks flooding roads in the area.
Flash flooding of streams and creeks created flooded roads across the area. Bridges and culverts along Route 414 had water problems.
Several roads in the area were flooded as heavy rainfall forced streams and creeks from their banks.
Heavy rain forced small streams and creeks from their banks, flooding several roads around Monroeton. A bridge was scoured along Route 414. Towanda Creek and Schrader Creek were the main tributaries causing flooding in the Borough. Flood water surrounded the Dandy Mini-Mart and closed the local airport.
Streets were flooded by heavy rain throughout Towanda.
The USGS stream gauge on Towanda Creek near Monroeton crested at 17.74 feet at 5:45 AM on October 21, 2016. The flood stage is 15.5 feet. This crest exceeded the Moderate flood stage of 17.0 feet. The river went above flood stage at 3:45 AM and fell back below flood stage at 8:40 AM.
Flash flooding of streams, creeks and small rivers continued around the Towanda and Monroeton areas through the early morning.
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, October 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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 658344, 658345, 658346, 658347, 658348, 657265, 658349.