Flash Flood — Crawford, Pennsylvania

2004-05-22 · near Countywide, Crawford, Pennsylvania

Event narrative

Heavy rains fell on much of Crawford County as yet another band of thunderstorms moved through the area just after daybreak. Between one and two inches of rain fell between daybreak and 9 a.m. Spotters in Springboro measured three-quarters of an inch of rain between 7:15 and 7:45 a.m. This rain combined with ground already saturated from heavy rains the previous few days led to another round of devastating flooding in the county. This situation was made even more serious when another cluster of thunderstorms moved through the county during the afternoon hours. Many streams and creeks again left their banks washing out several roads and bridges. Dozens of roads in the county had to be closed by flood waters up to four feet deep. Some of the worst flooding occurred in the Meadville area as both French Creek and Cussewago Creek climbed well above flood stage. The Cambridge Springs and Rockdale Township areas were also hard hit by flooding. Hundreds of homes and vehicles were damaged by the flooding.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5400691. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.