143
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$5.1M
Property damage
Flash Flood in Washington County, Pennsylvania: 143 recorded events between 1996 and 2025. The strongest on record measured 0. That places the county #82 nationally and #8 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Flash Flood in Washington County, Pennsylvania: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for flash flood in Washington County is the 2020s, when 51 of the county's 143 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 Washington County archive, flash flood makes up 14.1% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #82 for this hazard and #8 within Pennsylvania, putting it in the 97.4 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jun is the peak month for flash flood in Washington County with 40 recorded events, while Oct 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 19, 1997 | GINGER HILL | 0 | 1 | 0 | $0 |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 27, 2025 | VANKIRK | 0 | $3K |
| Jul 27, 2025 | TAYLORSTOWN STATION | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 27, 2025 | LAGONDA | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 27, 2025 | VANKIRK | 0 | $10K |
| Jul 27, 2025 | WASHINGTON CO ARPT | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 27, 2025 | LAGONDA | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 27, 2025 | HARTS MILL | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 27, 2025 | GABBY HGTS | 0 | $2K |
| Jun 25, 2025 | MONONGAHELA | 0 | $5K |
| Jun 25, 2025 | PISLTER | 0 | $2K |
Other hazards here
More from Washington County
- Thunderstorm Wind 633
- Hail 154
- Flood 52
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Heavy thunderstorm rains led to a small creek leading to Little Mingo Creek to go out of its banks and flood Beagle Club Road. Water collected around a nearby horse barn. A 40 year-old man died when he was swept into a 24 inch wide sewer pipe that he was trying to clear in the flooded horse barn.
Thunderstorms produced up to 2.5 inches of rain in only a few hours, which fell onto ground that was already soaked from previous rainfall. This torrential rainfall forced the already-swollen Maple Creek out of its banks, producing significant flooding across the far eastern sections of Washington County. The flooding was the worst residents had seen in recent years, with the most of the damage found in a two-mile stretch from Charleroi, running west along Maple Creek Road and into Fallowfield Township. Some scattered reports of flooding on the outskirts of nearby California were also received by emergency management officials. The hardest hit areas were reportedly along Twilight Hollow Road and Lincoln Avenue Extension (Old Route 71). Overall, a total of 40 homes, 10 businesses and several roads and bridges suffered approximately $3 million in damages.
1.25 inches of rain in less than an hour from thunderstorms passing over the area produced flash flooding that flooded 25 basements, washed out a bridge and damaged several roads in the West Brownsville, Deemston and California areas.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many flash flood events are on record in Washington County, Pennsylvania?
143 flash flood events are recorded in Washington County between 1996 and 2025, causing 1 direct deaths.
What is the strongest flash flood recorded in Washington County?
The strongest flash flood on record in Washington County measured 0.
Where does the flash flood data for Washington 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 Washington County, Pennsylvania.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/pennsylvania/washington-county/flash-flood/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.