Flash Flood in Erie County, Pennsylvania

The ongoing, persistent line of lake-enhanced showers re-intensified around 9am local daylight time and shifted north of Interstate 90, inducing rapid rises along Mill Creek in the City of Erie as well as in many neighborhoods on the south side of town. Especially hard hit were areas in Belle Valley along Mill Creek, which quickly rose out of its banks, flooding roadways and over 50 homes near East Gore Road. The Belle Valley Fire Station, located at Norcross Road and State Route 8, flooded to a depth of 6 feet within minutes around 9:30am as Mill Creek rose out of its banks. 800 feet of Henderson Road was washed out just upstream from Belle Valley, while downstream, high water from Mill Creek flooded the Erie Zoo and Glenwood Park Avenue. Flooding was widespread in residential areas between Interstate 79 and Mill Creek, as storm sewers were overwhelmed by the additional heavy rainfall. Emergency personnel responded to well over 50 calls for rescue assistance from stranded motorists and homeowners. At 10:30am, City of Erie authorities requested that non-essential travel stop due to the widespread flooding.

Unseasonably cool air associated with a strong upper level low over the Great Lakes region combined with warm Lake Erie waters to produce persistent, intense lake-enhanced rainfall which trained repeatedly over northern Erie County, Pennsylvania during the early morning hours of the 30th. Over 4 inches of rain fell along the Interstate 90 corridor from near Girard to just south of Erie, with isolated locations approaching 7 inches of rain.