Flash Flood — Erie, Pennsylvania

2017-11-05 · near Eaglehurst, Erie, Pennsylvania

Event narrative

Warm humid air over the region supported strong thunderstorms and torrential rainfall. A rain gauge network in Mill Creek Township measured an instantaneous rainfall rate of over 7 inches per hour around 630 pm. The storms produced a measured 3.85 inches of rainfall in the Erie/Mill Creek area. The intensity of the rainfall ultimately overwhelmed storm drainage systems causing significant overland flooding. In Mill Creek some roads were reported to have as much as five feet of water with numerous water rescues conducted. Some structures sustained damage and the Mill Creek Fire Department had to evacuate. The most significant damage occurred in on East 30th Street in Erie where a basement wall collapsed from the water pooling on the outside, trapping and ultimately drowning two residents. The flooding was likely exasperated by the poor drainage, but ultimately it was the torrential nature of the rainfall that caused the damages.

Wider weather episode

A cold front moved across the Ohio Valley and southern Great Lakes on the afternoon of Sunday, November 5th, 2017. Unseasonably warm and humid air was in place across the region ahead of the front. The cold front gradually progressed across the Ohio Valley and thunderstorms initiated and swept east ahead of the front. The storms formed in a very strong wind field and allowed the storms to move very rapidly east at speeds of 60 to 80 mph. A tornado was reported near Erie and strong winds downed many trees across the area.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (42.1100, -80.1542)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 727471. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.