Flash Flood — Erie, Ohio

2006-06-21 to 2006-06-22 · near Countywide, Erie, Ohio

Event narrative

Thunderstorms dumped torrential rains on Erie County during the evening of June 21st. Rainfall rates with the stronger storms exceeded three inches per hour. As much as 7 to 9 inches of rain fell on Perkins Township with 4 to 6 inches over the remainder of the county. Most of this rainfall fell between 8 and 11 p.m. Devastating flash flooding occurred across the county as result of this rainfall. Perkins, Milan, Huron and Margaretta Townships were the hardest hit by the flooding. Rapid rises in water levels occurred in the county forcing the closure of dozens of roads and streets. Hundreds of people had to be evacuated from flood prone areas. The flooding was especially bad along Pike Creek in Perkins Township which quickly left it's bank. Flooding also occurred along Mills Creek near Sandusky with several roads in the city flooded by two to three feet of water. The flooding worsened after daybreak on the 22nd as runoff from the heavy rains on the 21st made it's way into the larger creeks and rivers. Local officials stated that this flood event was the worst in the county since the July 4th, 1969. See the accompanying flood event write-up for damage estimates and more details on the damage.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5518513. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.