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Flash Flood — Erie, Pennsylvania
November 5, 2017 · NOAA Storm Events record
Event narrative (NOAA)
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.
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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.