LPWB Historical Weather

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Wednesday-Friday June 21-23, 1972: Post-tropical Storm Agnes

The  heavy rains delivered by storm Agnes over several days has become the  benchmark of main-stem river flooding through most of Pennsylvania,  including the Schuylkill River at Reading. At Lincoln Park, the “whale’s  share” of the rain came first as torrential thunderstorm downpours  evening of 21 June and then as steady moderately heavy rain through the  daylight of 22 June. Galvanized tubs, initially empty with capacity of  approximately 10 inches, left exposed at a local construction project  during these rains, were filled to the brims by Thursday evening. Mainly  light rains fell occasionally for two more days. The six days prior to  the Agnes rains brought a few heavy showers. These pre-Agnes rains plus  the rains directly attributed to Agnes totaled 12.01”, including 8.0 in  24 hours at the NWS-sponsored co-op, Reading 3 N. Lincoln Park might  have received about 2” more than that. Basement flooding was widespread  and ranged from minor to severe, depending on the lowness of the  houses. 

Hurricane Agnes - Berks County's Worst Natural Disaster

Courtesy and Credit: Berks Nostalgia

Below are pictures of the aftermath of the great snowstorm of 7-8 January 1996, which deposited 32" of snow on LPWB, on top of 4" of preexisting snow pack.  LPWB billed this event "snowstorm of the century" at the time, and that attribution still seems appropriate.  The snow fell heavily, with near blizzard conditions at times, nearly continuously from well before dawn of Sunday 7 January till noon of Monday 8 January.  Sleet mixed in briefly.  Total rainfall equivalent was 3.16" to yield a typical 10 to 1 melt ratio.  An encore disturbance delivered an additional 3.9" from late Tuesday the 9th into morning of the 10th.  Then another nor'easter, much weaker, brought another 8.1" of snow. sleet and some glaze ice during Friday 12 January.  The second half of this January turned much different with frequently mild temperatures and a few moderate to heavy rainfalls which resulted in rapid melting and significant flooding.  Average ground coverage was reduced drastically to 2"  of snow/ice by 30 January.