Flood — Chester, Pennsylvania
2006-11-08 · near Downingtown, Chester, Pennsylvania
Event narrative
In addition to the poor drainage and creek flooding, the heavy rain contributed to motor vehicle accidents which led to one fatality and seven injuries in separate accidents across the county. A 21-year-old woman died in a two vehicle accident on U.S. Route 202 south of Pennsylvania State Route 401 in East Whiteland Township. She lost control of her vehicle on the wet roadway and slid across the median into the southbound lanes. The 59-year-old driver of the other vehicle was seriously injured. In West Whiteland Township, a 73-year-old male was seriously injured after his vehicle struck an oil truck. In another accident in the township, three people were injured when their vehicle was struck by another vehicle. In East Goshen Township, two people were injured when a vehicle struck a tree.
The East Branch of the Brandywine Creek at Downingtown was above its 7 foot flood stage from 1235 p.m. EST through 501 p.m. EST on the 8th. It crested at 7.72 feet at 245 p.m. EST on the 8th. Storm totals included 2.87 inches in Honey Brook, 2.66 inches in Valley Forge, 2.50 inches in Oxford, 2.19 inches in Downingtown, 2.08 inches in Avondale and 2.03 inches in Modena.
Wider weather episode
A slow moving low pressure system that moved from the Gulf of Mexico caused heavy rain to fall during about a twelve hour period on the 8th in Eastern Pennsylvania. Storm totals averaged between 2 and 3 inches. The heavy rain caused urban and poor drainage flooding. The flooding was exacerbated by fallen leaves that clogged catch basins. The heavy rain also caused flooding along some of the creeks and rivers in Berks County and in southeastern Pennsylvania. Rain began falling during the evening on the 7th, fell heavy at times from about 3 a.m. EST through 3 p.m EST on the 8th and ended during the early evening on the 8th.
The heavy rain was caused by a low pressure system which formed in the Gulf of Mexico on the 6th and merged with an approaching cold front on the morning of the 7th. It then moved slowly northeast. The low pressure system reached Savannah, Georgia at 7 p.m. EST on the 7th, Elizabeth City, North Carolina at 7 a.m. EST on the 8th, was about 100 miles east of Atlantic City, New Jersey at 7 p.m. EST on the 8th and in the Gulf of Maine at 7 a.m. EST on the 9th.
View location on OpenStreetMap → (40.0200, -75.7000)
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 6451. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.