Flash Flood — Crawford, Pennsylvania

2003-07-21 to 2003-07-22 · near Countywide, Crawford, Pennsylvania

Event narrative

A second round of heavy rain fell on Crawford County during the evening hours. Rainfall rates well in excess of an inch per hour combined with soil saturated from the earlier rains led to a second round of flash flooding. More roads and culverts were washed out, especially across the southern half of county. Evacuations initiated during the afternoon storms continued through the evening hours. Hundreds of people were displaced from their homes. Rainfall totals for the day were generally four to six inches. 4.07 inches of rain was measured at the Meadville Airport with 4.90 inches at Linesville and around 4 inches at both Saegertown and Cambridge Springs. Bucket surveys in the Cochranton area indicated that at least 5 to 6 inches of rain fell during the day. Several hundred homes and businesses were damaged or destroyed by flooding and damage to roads was extensive.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5376038. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.