Relentless heavy rain that trudged through Western Pennsylvania on Thursday triggered dangerous flash flooding in parts of Allegheny County and spurred numerous water rescues and evacuations.
The National Weather Service issued a rare flash flood emergency after more than 4 inches of rain fell in a short time late Thursday afternoon across southern and western parts of the county.
“This is an extremely dangerous situation,” the weather service warned.
Emergency radio dispatches indicated there was severe flooding in many corners of the county, with water rescues from flooded homes, vehicles and businesses.
Areas in and around Oakdale and South Fayette in southwestern Allegheny County were hit particularly hard as things escalated Thursday night.
Water rescue teams had evacuated multiple Oakdale residents along Clinton Avenue as floodwaters rose, and emergency sirens were blaring to warn residents of the dangers.
Rescue crews in Oakdale were using water craft to evacuate or rescue residents (video: Benjamin B. Braun/Post-Gazette) pic.twitter.com/d5EZmwCAjT
— Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (@PittsburghPG) April 12, 2024
Stowe EMS personnel said at least nine people had been evacuated by boat through late Thursday evening in Oakdale. Crews said some residents would not leave their homes despite being urged to evacuate. No injuries had been reported.
Police and EMS from North Fayette also said one half of the Victoria Manor assisted living facility in North Fayette was flooded. Tenants were being moved to rooms on the other side of the facility.
Officials in Etna late Thursday night issued an emergency evacuation notice as Pine Creek breeched its banks at over 14 feet. It said anyone living in designated flood zones or areas prone to flooding should leave their homes.
“Please leave the area and take any pets with you,” the borough warned in a Facebook post. “If you do not evacuate go to the highest floor of your home as emergency personnel may not be able to reach you to evacuate you.”
Throughout the night, dozens of reports of road closures, washed out roads, flooded basements and downed trees and power lines were peppering county emergency dispatchers.
The emergency flood gates on Washington Boulevard in Pittsburgh’s Highland Park neighborhood had been activated as Allegheny River Boulevard began flooding. Those were lifted Friday morning.
Pittsburgh Public Safety said a water rescue team pulled someone from a vehicle that was trapped in floodwaters on Route 51 on Thursday night. That person was uninjured, officials said.
The westbound lanes of the Parkway West were shut down between exits 58 and 57 because it was inundated with floodwaters. A portion of the business loop of I-376 also was shut down.
Those were among at least 30 road closures PennDOT was reporting late Thursday night in Allegheny County alone. Most were in the southern and western portions of the county.
Numerous school districts around the region were closed, moved to remote learning or had two-hour delays Friday morning. A full list can be found at Post-Gazette news partner KDKA-TV’s website.
Though rain and a slight chance for severe weather had been in the forecast for Thursday, nothing like the onslaught that the region saw had been predicted.
A large front was moving across the region, but the embedded bands of heavier rain were ultimately what set off the emergencies.
Officially, the National Weather Service in Moon recorded 2.77 inches of rain Thursday, shattering the old April 11 record of 1.46 inches. At this point in the month, Pittsburgh is 6.11 inches above normal for rainfall for April.
The NWS said it’s already third wettest April on record and likely will become the wettest when it’s all said and done.
Though the official books will show 2.77 inches, areas farther south, such as Oakdale, had received more than 4 inches as they got stuck under the heavy bands.
The combination of Thursday’s rain and last week’s multi-day soaking that saw nearly 4 inches of rain have left the region saturated.
Runoff from Thursday’s rain and the expected additional rainfall into Friday morning was likely to keep creeks and rivers rising through Friday.
A flood advisory was again issued for the Ohio River. The NWS said it expected the river to crest at over 25 feet on Saturday. As of Friday morning, it was at over 20 feet and rising.
The Pittsburgh Parking Authority closed the Mon Wharf to commuters Friday just a day after it had finally reopened following last week’s flooding.
Water begins to flow into the parking area when the river reaches 18 feet and begins to flow onto the North Shore riverwalk at 19 feet. At 22 feet, the 10th Street Bypass in Downtown can start flooding. And at 25 feet, the Parkway East’s “bathtub” section will likely flood, and the Point State Park fountain will start to take on water.
Road closures
Allegheny County
PennDOT said the following roads were closed or restricted as of about 8 a.m. Friday:
- The HOV lane on I-279 was closed because of a power outage
- Route 8 (Washington Boulevard) between Route 130 (Allegheny River Boulevard) and Negley Run Road - Closed
- Route 48 at Ripple Road in White Oak Borough – Closed
- Route 837 (Kennywood Boulevard) between Mifflin Street and Glenn Street in West Mifflin Borough – Lane Restriction
- Route 837 (Duquesne Road) between Route 148 and and
- Route 1013 (Saxonburg Boulevard) between Reaghard Drive and Ramsey Road in West Deer Township – Closed
- Route 1034 (Bull Creek Road) between Route 366 and Lardintown Road in Fawn Township
- Route 2001 (Bunola River Road) between Cliff Mill Drive and Elkhorn Road in Forward Township – Closed
- Route 2046 (Streets Run Road) between Glass Run Road and Brentwood Road in the City of Pittsburgh - Closed
- Route 2058 (Verona Road) between Sandy Creek Road and Mt. Carmel Road - Closed
- Route 3014 (Piney Fork Road) between Snowden and Connor Road in South Park Township - Closed
- Route 3026 (Millers Run Road) between Crest Street and Morgan Hill Road in South Fayette Township – Closed
- Route 3048 (Noblestown Road) between Gormley Avenue and Laurel Hill Road in North Fayette Township – lane restrictions
- Route 3072 (Montour Run Road) between I-376 and Marketplace Boulevard in Moon Township – Closed
- Route 3075 (Hookstown Grade Road) between Montour Run Road and FedEx Drive in Moon Township – Closed
- Route 3103 (McKee Road) between Route 978 and Crossroads Drive in Oakdale Borough – Closed
- Route 4009 (North Avenue/Peoples Road/Evergreen Road) between Evergreen Road and North Avenue in Shaler Township – Closed
- Route 4036 (Big Sewickley Creek Road) between Hoenig Road and Turkeyfoot Road in Bell Acres Borough - Closed
- Route 4036 (Big Sewickley Creek Road) between Camp Meeting Road and Metz Road in Belle Acres Borough - Closed
- Route 4080 (Toms Run Road/Duff Road) between Ohio River Boulevard and Duff Road in Allepo and Kilbuck townships -Closed
Beaver County
- Route 51 (Constitution Boulevard) between Cove Hill Road and Fallston Street in Fallston Borough – Lane Restriction
- Route 588 between Veka Drive and Pine Run Road in Marion Township - Closed
- Route 1006 (Mercer Road) between Route 65 and Route 288 in Franklin Township – Closed
- Route 1008 (Shady Rest Road) between McKim Way and Celia Road in Franklin Township
- Route 1015 (Hartzell Road) between Route 588 and Old Furnace Road in Marion Township - Closed
- Route 1019 (Brush Creek Road) between Route 68 and Mellon Road in New Sewickley Township – Closed
- Route 1019 (Brush Creed Road) between Wises Grove Road and Tulip Drive in New Sewickley Township - Closed
- Route 2003 (Hoenig Road) between Big Sewickley Creek Road and Mason Road in Economy Borough – Closed
- Route 3013 (Independence Road) between Village Road and Bryson Road in Hopewell Township - Closed
- Route 3023 (Park Road) between Route 30 and Hookstown Grade Road in Independence Township – Closed
- Route 4027 (Darlington Road) between 8th Street and Cove Hill Road – Closed (due to a slide)
- Route 4037 (Barkley Hill Road) between Route 68 and Nicholas Drive in Industry Borough – Closed
First Published: April 11, 2024, 9:00 p.m.
Updated: April 12, 2024, 2:39 p.m.
