Flash Flood — Indiana, Pennsylvania

2017-06-22 · near Shelocta, Indiana, Pennsylvania

Event narrative

Emergency management reported that a man drowned as he attempting to clean debris from an overflow pipe in a pond near his home on Sportsman Club Road when the kayak he was in flipped and his legs were pulled into the pipe. Water then continued to rise, submerging the individual.

Wider weather episode

Showers and thunderstorms developed along a warm front across northern Pennsylvania in the afternoon and evening of the 22nd. With a tropical air mass in place, rainfall became very efficient especially over southern Armstrong and central Indiana counties in Pennsylvania. A nearly stationary set of storms produced 4-6 inches of rain across the area, with focus over Shelocta, in Indiana county. Several feet of rushing water over 422 lead to several water rescues as individuals were trapped in their vehicles. In addition, rail cars were swept off the tracks. Roadways remained closed through the morning of the 23rd, before yet another round of rain would fall. This event was estimated to be a 200-year flood, though this is unofficial at this time.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (40.6400, -79.3100)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 711723. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.