Flash Flood — Lancaster, Pennsylvania

1999-09-16 · near Countywide, Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Event narrative

Hurricane Floyd moved inland across North Carolina before sunrise on Thursday, September 16th, accelerated northward over eastern Virginia during the morning, crossed eastern Maryland by Thursday afternoon, and reached Long Island by evening. In its wake, heavy rains fell across North Carolina and Virginia into Pennsylvania. Although not nearly as severe as the destruction across areas to the south and east, the middle and lower Susquehanna region of central Pennsylvania endured 24-hour rainfall totals of 5 to 10 inches that flooded roads, fields, basements, small streams, and the Conestoga River that flows through the city of Lancaster. President Clinton declared Lancaster and York counties major disaster areas, along with other counties to the east.Hardest hit in the region was Lancaster County. By mid-afternoon Thursday, many roads were closed, school children had been returned home, and water rescues were underway. Most significant flooding began around 2:00 p.m. EDT as rainfall totals in Dauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon, Schuylkill, and York counties approached 4 and 5 inches.There were no directly related fatalities in the area, although two people died when their van skidded and struck a tree when the vehicle hydroplaned on the Marietta Pike in Lancaster County. Around 2:00 p.m., a 15-year old boy attempted to bring family pets to safety from the backyard when the waters of Muddy Creek rose rapidly, trapping him. The young man was rescued by boat as he clung to a tree trunk in water up to his chest. A volunteer firefighter was also injured during cleanup when tree branches fell on him and he hit his head on a guardrail. A number of people were stranded in their vehicles when they intentionally drove around road closure signs. Some even moved road barriers so they could proceed.The Conestoga River in the city of Lancaster flooded Thursday evening and crested at 16.39 feet early Friday morning. Major damage occurred on the northeast side of the city, and four neighborhoods were evacuated. The crest was the 4th highest flood of record at the site.Other areas of the lower and middle Susquehanna region endured flooding of a lesser magnitude with flooding of small streams, roads, and basements. A mobile home park in eastern York County was evacuated as waters approached floor levels of the homes.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5722719. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.