95
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
2
Direct injuries
$35.3M
Property damage
Flash Flood in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania: 95 recorded events between 1996 and 2025. The strongest on record measured 0. That places the county #187 nationally and #18 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Flash Flood in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for flash flood in Lehigh County is the 2010s, when 36 of the county's 95 recorded events were logged. Comparing decades is useful for spotting active periods, but the earliest years are thin because systematic reporting for this hazard began later.
Within the Lehigh County archive, flash flood makes up 13.7% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #187 for this hazard and #18 within Pennsylvania, putting it in the 94.0 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Aug is the peak month for flash flood in Lehigh County with 29 recorded events, while Feb is the quietest. Seasonality here is a property of the archive as much as the climate: reports cluster where population and spotter networks are densest.
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 4, 2020 | COOPERSBURG | 0 | 1 | 0 | $3K |
| Jul 22, 2003 | SOUTH PORTION | 0 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Oct 19, 1996 | COUNTYWIDE | 0 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 14, 2025 | CENTER VLY | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 14, 2025 | LIMEPORT | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 14, 2025 | OLD ZIONSVILLE | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 19, 2024 | WEST CATASAUQUA | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 9, 2023 | ALLENTOWN MUNI | 0 | $0 |
| Apr 15, 2023 | MACUNGIE KNEPPER ARP | 0 | $3K |
| Apr 15, 2023 | GAUFF HILL | 0 | $0 |
| Apr 15, 2023 | LANARK | 0 | $0 |
| Sep 9, 2021 | MEYERSVILLE | 0 | $0 |
| Sep 9, 2021 | (ABE)LEHIGH VALLEY INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT | 0 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Lehigh County
- Thunderstorm Wind 395
- Hail 93
- Heavy Rain 41
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A car driven by a 44-year-old woman was swept away by flood waters along the 6300 block of North Main Street in Upper Saucon Township near a bridge that passes over Laurel Run. The victim was pronounced dead later in the day after the waters receded.
Thunderstorms with heavy rain caused flash flooding in Salisbury Township. This caused numerous flooded roads as well as a couple of road washouts. Sections of the Trout Creek and Black River flooded. Event precipitation totals included 1.57 inches in Breinigsville, 1.39 inches in Macungie and 1.31 inches at the Allentown Queen City Airport. Most of this rain fell within an hour.
Thunderstorms with very heavy rain caused roadway flooding and flash flooding of smaller streams across the central third of Lehigh County from Allentown, Bethlehem and Hanover westnorthwest through all of the Whitehall Townships as well as Lowhill and Weisenberg Townships. In Allentown, the heavy rain caused a roof collapse and the evacuation of thirteen people. Event precipitation totals included 4.24 inches at the Lehigh Valley International Airport, 3.90 inches in Allentown and 3.73 inches in Schnecksville.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many flash flood events are on record in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania?
95 flash flood events are recorded in Lehigh County between 1996 and 2025, causing 1 direct deaths.
What is the strongest flash flood recorded in Lehigh County?
The strongest flash flood on record in Lehigh County measured 0.
Where does the flash flood data for Lehigh County come from?
All events come from the NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, the federal public-domain archive of severe weather reports. Dates are UTC, damage is as reported and not inflation-adjusted, and the most recent entries may still be revised.
Cite this page
“Flash Flood in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/pennsylvania/lehigh-county/flash-flood/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.