Flash Flood — Lackawanna, Pennsylvania

2003-09-03 to 2003-09-04 · near Countywide, Lackawanna, Pennsylvania

Event narrative

1 to 3 inches of heavy rain in a short period of time caused rapid flash flooding of streams and urban areas. The ground was already saturated from several inches that fell on September 2nd. Most areas in the county had some flooding. The worst flooding was in the townships of Jermyn, Carbondale, Mayfield, and Scott. The Lackawanna River at Archbald crested at 10.2 feet which is above its 8 foot estimated flood stage. The Lackawanna River went out of its banks in many towns and cities including Scranton. A 58 year old man trying to get to his car in Carbondale had a heart attack and died. Hundreds of people were evacuated in the middle of the night. Many homes had several feet of water in basements. In Jermyn a few houses had debris pushed into their basements due to the flooded Rushbrook Creek. Also in Jermyn, slabs of cement and pavement were upturned, bridges washed out, and roads undermined and washed out. Some repairs to roads in the county will take several weeks. Many cars were caught in the flood.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5372296. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.