142
Recorded events
4
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$124.2M
Property damage
Flash Flood in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania: 142 recorded events between 1996 and 2025. The strongest on record measured 0. That places the county #84 nationally and #9 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Flash Flood in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for flash flood in Philadelphia County is the 2020s, when 59 of the county's 142 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 Philadelphia County archive, flash flood makes up 22.1% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #84 for this hazard and #9 within Pennsylvania, putting it in the 97.3 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jul is the peak month for flash flood in Philadelphia County with 49 recorded events, while Nov 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 8, 2011 | (PHL)PHILADELPHIA IN | 0 | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 13, 2010 | TACONY | 0 | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Sep 28, 2004 | COUNTYWIDE | 0 | 1 | 0 | $2.0M |
| Sep 16, 1999 | COUNTYWIDE | 0 | 1 | 0 | $4.2M |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 18, 2025 | BUSTLETON | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 13, 2025 | CRESCENTVILLE | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 31, 2025 | PHILADELPHIA | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 9, 2025 | CRESCENTVILLE | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 9, 2025 | BRIDESBURG | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 8, 2025 | PHILADELPHIA | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 8, 2025 | BUSTLETON | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 8, 2025 | MANAYUNK | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 1, 2025 | TORRESDALE | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 1, 2025 | FOX CHASE | 0 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Philadelphia County
- Thunderstorm Wind 329
- Flood 74
- Hail 45
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A band of showers and thunderstorms with heavy rain caused flash flooding of smaller streams as well as poor drainage flooding in Philadelphia. It also caused the drowning death of a 27-year-old woman who was caught in flood waters in the East Germantown section of the city. She was discovered in the rear of her Sports Utility Vehicle at the intersection of Musgrave and Haines Streets on the morning of the 8th. The Wingohocking Creek, which is a creek that was buried underground during the 19th century had its waters back out of sewer grates and manhole covers in that section of the city. Godfrey Avenue and Wister Street also flooded in East Germantown. The wall of a church also collapsed. Most gaged creeks within Philadelphia flooded as well as the Schuylkill River.
Thunderstorms with torrential downpours caused flash flooding along the Pennypack Creek as well as poor drainage flooding in northeast Philadelphia. A 20-year-old man drowned while rafting on the swollen Pennypack Creek. During the morning, fire officials rescued a man stuck next to the pillar of a rail bridge near the intersection of Ashburner Street and Frankford Avenue on the creek. Later that day, two men fell into the water after their raft overturned near Winchester Avenue and Roosevelt Boulevard, but only one man survived. The Pennypack Creek at the Rhawn Street Bridge was above its 7 foot flood stage from 1018 a.m. EDT through 617 p.m. EDT EDT on the 13th. It crested at 9.1 feet at 4 p.m. EDT.
Widespread flash flooding occurred in Philadelphia with many roadways closed. Most of the waterways in the city overflowed their banks, including the Schuylkill River, Cobbs Creek, Wissahickon Creek, Frankford Creek and Pennypack Creek. Many buildings were flooded, especially in the Manayunk section of the city.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many flash flood events are on record in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania?
142 flash flood events are recorded in Philadelphia County between 1996 and 2025, causing 4 direct deaths.
What is the strongest flash flood recorded in Philadelphia County?
The strongest flash flood on record in Philadelphia County measured 0.
Where does the flash flood data for Philadelphia 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 Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/pennsylvania/philadelphia-county/flash-flood/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.