Flash Flood — Bedford, Pennsylvania

2025-06-17 · near Purcell, Bedford, Pennsylvania

Event narrative

Flash flooding was reported at the confluence of the east branch and west branch of Sideling Hill Creek onto Sideling Hill Creek Road.

Wider weather episode

A slow-moving surface warm front stationed across western Pennsylvania allowed for slow-moving showers and thunderstorms to form across southwestern Pennsylvania in an environment of anomalously moist air with long, skinny CAPE and enhanced low-level shear. Showers and thunderstorms across southwestern Pennsylvania initially formed during the early afternoon hours and continued into the evening hours, producing numerous instances of flash flooding and closing roadways across Cambria, Blair, Bedford, and Fulton counties. The aforementioned low-level shear and instability allowed for a brief EF1 tornado to occur across southeastern Bedford County, on York Road. The maximum wind speed of the York Road Tornado was 95 mph, with a 1.1-mile path and a width of 175 yards.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (39.7800, -78.3600)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1266673. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.