Erie sets record for rainfall; flooding reported; 2 rescued from creek
Erie set a record for rainfall Tuesday and two people were rescued from a flooded creek before sunshine returned to the area Wednesday.
The National Weather Service in Cleveland confirmed the new record precipitation of 2.58 inches for Sept. 27. The old record wasn't available. Tuesday's record rain followed 2.31 inches on Monday, which was below the record of 3.91 for Sept. 26 set in 1986.
Flooding was observed along some creeks and on various roads throughout the area, particularly in Millcreek Township, but an Erie County emergency dispatcher and Millcreek police said no injuries were reported Tuesday. Water on roads had mostly receded by Wednesday, they said.
Water rescue on Conneaut Creek
Two people were rescued from Conneaut Creek on Wednesday morning south of West Springfield. The people were transported to an Erie County hospital with what an Erie County emergency dispatcher said were non-life-threatening injuries.
The dispatcher said crews, including Springfield Volunteer Fire Department, were called at 10:08 a.m. to the 14000 block of Clover Road, which is in Springfield Township. Clover Road runs roughly parallel to the creek, which is south of the road, on the border between Springfield and Conneaut townships. Crews cleared the scene about an hour later.
Further information on the rescue and the victims wasn't available Wednesday afternoon.
Widespread flooding
Visitors to GoErie's Facebook page shared photos and videos from around Erie County of flooded yards in Millcreek and Summit townships, flooding at the Legion baseball fields in Fairview Township and at Raccoon Park in East Springfield, hail in Corry and raging waterways including Mallory Run in Edinboro, Elk Creek in Girard, Walnut Creek near Old Sterrettania Road in Millcreek, Trout Run near Avonia Road in Fairview, Four Mile Creek in Lawrence Park Township and Elk Creek near Rick Road in McKean Township, and more.
Flooding also was reported at West 28th Street and McKee Road, near West 15th Street and Pittsburgh Avenue, at Arcadia Avenue south of West Ridge Road and at the loading dock of the U.S. Postal Service's branch at 2711 Legion Road. A postal official couldn't be reached Wednesday for comment on whether the flooding caused any damage or delay. Millcreek street crews were out working Wednesday and not available to talk about conditions in the township.
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Road closure
The eastbound lane of Route 5 was closed Tuesday near the intersection with Route 215 in Springfield Township, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. PennDOT said the roadway was damaged by heavy rains and flash flooding earlier that day.
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A detour for Route 5 was posted using Route 215 northbound to Route 20 eastbound to Route 18 southbound. PennDOT officials said they were assessing the damage and the lane was expected to remain closed until repairs can be made.
Favorable forecast
For those looking to dry out, the good news was that the wet weather began heading out Wednesday.
"We're expecting the showers to gradually wane through (Wednesday) and this evening and fair weather for (Thursday)," Kirk Lombardy, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Cleveland, said Wednesday morning.
The NWS forecast for Erie, as listed online Wednesday afternoon, called for Thursday to start out mostly cloudy but then become sunny and mostly clear with a high temperature of near 56 degrees Fahrenheit.
Friday was forecast to be sunny with a high near 61, followed by partly sunny skies on Saturday and Sunday and highs in the 60s. No more rain was in the forecast, which ran through Tuesday.
Lombardy said this week's rain in Erie County wasn't related to recent hurricanes. Rather, he said, it was isolated bands that produced very heavy rain in small areas, similar to lake-effect snow.
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Contact Dana Massing at dmassing@timesnews.com. Follow her on Twitter @ETNMassing.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Erie sets rainfall record; 2 rescued from flooded creek
