Flood — Montgomery, Pennsylvania

1996-01-19 to 1996-01-20 · Montgomery, Pennsylvania

Wider weather episode

The combination of snowmelt from the previous week's two storms, unseasonably warm temperatures and an additional one to two inches of rain caused the flash flooding of almost every small stream and significant roadway flooding the afternoon and early evening hours on the 19th. Major flooding of the larger streams and rivers in Pennsylvania continued through the 21st. The flooding caused three deaths, all in Montgomery County, three injuries and about $50 million dollars in property damage. All of Pennsylvania was declared a disaster area and extra public assistance was given to Northampton, Bucks and Monroe Counties, the hardest hit counties in the Southern Poconos and Southeast Pennsylvania. In many places the Delaware River crested at its highest stage since 1955. Numerous vehicle rescues occurred. The following paragraphs will contain a county by county summary of damages along with specific stage information. In Carbon County, 17 of 23 townships reported flood damage. In all 365 homes suffered major flood damage and 1,185 suffered minor flood damage. In addition 6 apartment buildings, 13 businesses, 34 roads, 51 sewer lines, 13 electrical systems and 3 parks were damaged by the flooding. Palmerton and Parryville were the hardest hit townships. In Parryville, a mile long culvert was washed out. In Palmerton the flooding along the Aquashicola Creek on the 19th forced the evacuation of about 100 persons along a four block stretch of Delaware Avenue and a two block stretch of Lehigh Avenue. Residents returned to find their basements full of mud. The Lehigh River in Lehighton crested at 12.16 feet at 1 a.m. on the 20th. Flood stage is 10 feet.In Monroe County, damage was estimated at $25 million dollars. The county was hit by flooding along the Delaware River in addition to the small stream flooding elsewhere. Three homes were completely destroyed, 134 suffered heavy damage and 1,426 suffered light damage. Six businesses also incurred heavy damage. On the 19th thirty major roadways were closed and two bridges were overrun by water. In Stroudsburg 45 persons were evacuated from the Glenbrook Apartments and 8 people were rescued from the flood waters in Barrett Township. Smithfield Township reported 15 homes suffered flood damage on the 19th. In Mount Pocono, a qurter-mile long road washout occurred. Flooding along the Delaware River caused considerable damage on the 20th in Shawnee and Price's Landing. The 90 year-old Shawnee Inn and Country Club suffered extensive damage. Three hundred Shawnee residents were evacuated. The Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area suffered $2 million dollars in damage. The Lehigh River at Stoddardsville crested at 9.64 feet at 930 p.m. on the 19th. Flood stage is 7 feet. The Tobyhanna Creek in Blakeslee crested at 11.67 feet at 1030 p.m. on the 19th. The Delaware River crested at 25.7 feet at 1 a.m. on the 20th. Flood stage is 21 feet.Berks County escaped with the least amount of damage and the lowest number of water rescues in the area. Ten people were evacuated along the Schuylkill River in Muhlenberg Township. Several homes were damaged. On the 19th a Sinking Spring man died after falling from a roof he was trying to clear of snow. The Schuylkill River in Berne crested at 14.32 feet at 1030 p.m. on the 19th. Flood stage is 12 feet. The river crested at 15.85 feet in Reading at 6 a.m. on the 20th. Flood stage is 13 feet. In Lehigh County, the heavy rain caused a 75 by 6 foot snow slide in South Whiteland Township which damaged two homes and caused one injury (severed fingers). Adams Island in Allentown was evacuated due to Lehigh River flooding. Pennsylvania State Route 309 was closed in Orefield due to flooding along the Jordan River. The river crested at 9.13 feet in Allentown at 230 a.m. on the 20th. Flood stage is 7 feet. In Allentown firefighters responded to 123 calls of flooded basements, the most in twenty-two years. The Lehigh River at Walnutport crested at 12.3 feet at 9 p.m. on the 19th. Flood stage is 8 feet. In Bethlehem, the river crested at 16.9 feet at 130 a.m. on the 20th. Flood stage is 16 feet. Northampton County endured the combination of both small stream and significant large river flooding. Long lengths of Pennsylvania State Route 611 were closed due to flooding, river debris and suffered road erosion. Most of the significant flood damage occurred along the Lehigh and Delaware Rivers. In Upper Mount Bethel Township, twelve homes were damaged and hundreds were evacuated. Portland within the township was hard hit as all small streams and the Delaware River flooded the town. Roads were filled with silt, mud and river debris. Two houses were damaged by ice chunks. In Forks Township, 50 homes were damaged and about 50 persons were evacuated. In Easton, flooding was severe near the confluence of the Delaware and Lehigh Rivers. Evacuations were ordered for homes near both rivers. All downtown streets and parks were flooded especially along Larry Holmes Drive. About 50 homes (20 seriously) and three businesses were flooded. The city garage was damaged. A half submerged man was rescued from the Lehigh River Saturday evening the 20th. A state of emergency had to be declared to remove gawkers. In West Easton, two homes suffered flood damage and about 20 persons were evacuated. In Williams Township, 13 homes suffered flood damage. The Lehigh River at Walnutport crested at 12.3 feet at 9 p.m. on the 19th. Flood stage is 8 feet. In Bethlehem, the river crested at 16.9 feet at 130 a.m. on the 20th. Flood stage is 16 feet. The Lehigh River at Walnutport crested at 12.3 feet at 9 p.m. on the 19th. Flood stage is 8 feet. In Bethlehem, the river crested at 16.9 feet at 130 am on the 20th. Flood stage is 16 feet. The Delaware River at Belvidere Bridge crested at 22.94 feet at 1 pm on the 20th. Flood stage is 20 feet. The river crested at 30.65 feet at Phillipsburg at 4 p.m. on the 20th. Flood stage is 22 feet. For most places the crest along the Delaware was the highest since 1955.In Chester County, 109 persons in an Avondale apartment were evacuated as the White Clay Creek flooded. Rescues were made from about a dozen homes and trailers along River Band road in west Chester. Seven major roads were closed due to flooding, including the intersection of the two busiest roads in the county, U.S. Route 30 and Pennsylvania State Route 100. Flooding along the Brandywine Creek caused severe damage ($125,000) in the Brandywine Picnic Park in Birmingham. In all, 324 homes, 52 apartments, 21 businesses, 170 roads and 17 municipal parks were damaged. Five bridges suffered structural damage. The hardest hit communities were Avondale, Coatesville, Downingtown and Lenape. The Schuylkill River at Pottstown crested at 14.91 feet at 1 p.m. on the 20th. Flood stage is 13 feet. The West Branch of the Brandywine Creek in Modena crested at 9.7 feet at 8 p.m. on the 19th. Flood stage is 9 feet. The East Branch of the Brandywine Creek at Downingtown crested at 12.59 feet at 7 p.m. on the 19th. Flood stage is 7 feet. The Brandywine Creek at Chadds Ford crested at 14.21 feet at 1 a.m. on the 20th. Flood stage is 9 feet.In Delaware County, the Chester Creek in Chester flooded parklands and a bridge. Severe urban flooding caused many water rescues starting at 130 p.m. on the 19th. The Brandywine Creek at Chadds Ford crested at 14.21 feet at 1 a.m. on the 20th. Flood stage is 9 feet. The Chester Creek in Chester crested at 11.20 feet at 5 p.m. on the 19th. Flood stage is 8 feet. In Philadelphia, flooding along the Schuylkill River caused the worst damage, especially in Manayunk. Main Street in Manayunk was under two to three feet of water with up to 5 feet of water in basements. Kelly, West River and Lincoln Drives were all closed due to river flooding. A mudslide compounded the problems along Kelly Drive. The Schuylkill River in Philadelphia crested at 13.36 feet at Midnight on the 20th/21st. Flood stage is 11 feet. This was estimated as a once in 50 year flood for the river within the city.All three of the flooding caused deaths occurred within Montgomery County. About 830 p.m. on the 19th a 47-year-old male drove into the flooded Perkiomen Creek at the intersection of Arcola and Level Roads in Lower Frederick Township. He climbed out of the car through the passenger side, but was unable to make it to shore. His body was found on the afternoon of the 20th near a sewage treatment plant. About 1030 p.m. on the 19th, a 41-year-old male moved a blockade and tried to cross a flooded bridge over the Perkiomen Creek between Upper and Lower Providence Townships. His vehicle was swept away. His body was found 1,500 feet downstream the next morning. On the 20th, a 25 year-old man apparently jumped into the Manatawny Creek in Pottstown and drowned. He allegedly had just robbed a convenience store and was trying to run away from the police. There were numerous other rescues within the county including a stranded school bus in Lower Moreland Township and two teenagers rescued from the flooded Macoby and Unami Creeks on the afternoon of the 19th. Ninety persons were evacuated from the Bridgeport Towers along the Schuylkill River in Norristown. Twenty persons were evacuated in Collegeville near the Perkiomen Creek. Within the county 280 homes suffered damage, 50 with major damage. In addition, 85 businesses were flooded and three mobile homes were destroyed. Flooding ripped front porches from homes in Upper Providence Township and a Lower Providence Township home had ten feet of water in it. The hardest hit communities were Bridgeport, Collegeville, Lower Providence, Norristown, Upper Providence and Whitemarsh. The Schuylkill River at Pottstown crested at 14.91 feet at 1 p.m. on the 20th. Flood stage is 13 feet. It crested at 19 feet in Norristown. The Perkiomen Creek in Graterford crested at 16.26 feet at 9 p.m. on the 19th. Flood stage is 11 feet.Bucks County, like Northampton County suffered from the combination of both small stream and large river flooding with townships along the Delaware River taking the brunt. About 5,000 persons (1,500 in Yardley) from nine communities were evacuated, mainly along the Delaware River from Riegelsville to Yardley on the 20th. A state of emergency was declared at 3 p.m. on the 20th. Seven bridges between Bucks County and New Jersey were closed. River Road, Pennsylvania State Route 32, was clogged with up to four feet of ice chunks and debris (including floating propane tanks) almost along its entire county length. Pennsylvania State Route 611 was also closed in the northern part of the county. A mile-long stretch of ice closed the road near Riegelsville. Homes near the Paunnaccusing Creek were evacuated also as flooding along the Delaware River backed up the creek. One hundred homes in Quakertown were also flooded. Flooding damaged three ball fields in Sellersville. Ice jams along the Neshaminy Creek caused flooding in Croydon and Fergusonville. Yardley, Bridgeton and Tinicum Townships were the hardest hit communities along the Delaware on the 20th. About 65 people were rescued after refusing to evacuate or ignoring barricades. Two were treated for hypothermia. In Yardley, 230 homes suffered flood damage, 79 had major damage and 36 businesses also had flood damage. In New Hope, power was cut off for 28 hours because of the flooding. This village is a very popular tourist attraction and many restaurants' food perished. Waterloo Street was hardest hit. In Tinicum Township, many side roads were washed out. About 50 to 60 homes had damage exceeding $1,000,000. About 450 homes throughout the county suffered flood damaged. The Neshaminy Creek in Langhorne crested at 14.98 feet at 1 a.m. on the 20th. Flood stage is 9 feet. Along the Delaware River at Riegelsville it crested at 28.72 feet at 615 pm on the 20th. Flood stage is 19 feet. At New Hope, the river crested at 15.34 feet at 11 p.m. on the 20th. Flood stage is 13 feet. At Trenton, the river crested at 22.19 feet at 130 a.m. on the 21st. Flood stage is 20 feet.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5543255. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.