Flash Flood — Westmoreland, Pennsylvania

2009-06-17 to 2009-06-18 · near Murrysville, Westmoreland, Pennsylvania

Event narrative

Emergency management reported widespread flash flooding across much of western amd central Westmorland county from Murrysville to Greensburg and Mount Pleasant. At least 1,192 buildings were affected, with 136 having major damage and 11 buildings destroyed. Damages were estimated to be around 9 million dollars. Most major roadways had flooding and some were closed well after the water receded to clear debris. The hardest hit areas from Murrysville to Greensburg had rainfall of over 4 inches in 3 hours.

Wider weather episode

A deep upper trough and low pressure moving across the Ohio Valley pushed warm and humid air northward ahead of a cold front moving east with the surface low. Severe thunderstorms were widespread across eastern Ohio, western Pennsylvania, northern West Virginia, and Garrett county Maryland. Significant flash flooding occurred over eastern Allegheny and western Westmoreland counties in Pennsylvania with estimated damage of 18 million dollars to public infrastructure and private buildings.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (40.4300, -79.7000)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 178297. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.