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Flash Flood — Allegheny, Pennsylvania
July 1, 1997 · NOAA Storm Events record
Event narrative (NOAA)
A nearly stationary thunderstorm formed over the eastern part of Allegheny County during the evening of July 1. The storm dropped near 4 inches of rain in about 90 minutes over a 4 square-mile area. The resulting flash flood was centered in a small watershed in and near Pitcairn. Radar estimated rainfall rates greater than 2 inches per hour for almost 40 minutes. A rain gage at the Gateway Middle School indicated 3.30 inches storm total. Most of the damage was along Dirty Camp Run and Abers Creek. The town of Pitcairn was particularly hard hit. The streambed of Dirty Camp Run, a tributary of Turtle Creek, flows through the heart of the urbanized area of Pitcairn, where the channel is made of stoneblock and mortar. The channel flows directly under an elementary school. During the
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Source: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database. Deaths and injuries are those NOAA classifies as direct. Damage is the reporting office's estimate at the time and is not inflation-adjusted. This is a catalogue record, not a forecast.