Tropical downpours were the order of the day in Berks County on Sunday as storms produced severe flash flooding around the region.
Some spots were inundated, such as Reading Regional Airport, where 5.35 inches of rain had fallen by early evening. That breaks the old record of 5.32 inches set in 2004.
Just to the west, a staggering 7.35 inches was recorded by a gauge at the Penn State Berks campus. Other parts of the county were not as waterlogged.
A flood warning remains in effect for Berks County until 3:30 a.m. Monday, with flooding still occurring from runoff even after the rain has ended.
At least one major waterway was reported to be above flood stage, according to the National Weather Service. As of 9:15 p.m., the Manatawny Creek at Spangville was at nearly 8 feet. Flood stage there is 6 feet.
Earlier Sunday afternoon, the flash flooding led to numerous water rescues and road closures around the county. At one point, the Fleetwood Police Department in eastern Berks posted a message on Facebook warning residents to avoid all travel.
“The flooding conditions are very dangerous everywhere right now,” according to the post. “Our emergency crews are out responding to rescues, flooded basements, and everything in between. We cannot stress this enough. Do not travel anywhere.”
Video captured by a storm chaser showed a road in Fleetwood Park had been washed away, according to the weather service.
The flooding shut down at least two major highways: Route 222 between routes 61 and 183, as well as the Warren Street Bypass (Route 12) between Fifth Street and Route 61.
Also in Berks County, the Warren St. Bypass (Rt. 12) is CLOSED between 5th St. and 61 due to flooding.#BerksCountyTraffic
Photo: PennDOT pic.twitter.com/UNmnU1Xcp9— TTWN Allentown (@TotalTrafficABE) July 9, 2023
In Berks County, 222 remains CLOSED between 61 and 183 due to flooding.#BerksCountyTraffic
Photo: PennDOT pic.twitter.com/JobC3hUYiF— TTWN Allentown (@TotalTrafficABE) July 9, 2023
Many secondary roads were flooded, including the Reider Road Bridge in Oley. A photo showed the road had buckled due to the creek flooding underneath, according to the weather service. In the Blandon area, water had overrun Dries Road, where at least one vehicle was stuck.
In Bern Township, video showed Fairview Drive overrun with water, according to the weather service. Earlier, street flooding was reported on Willow Street in Kutztown.
In Reading, nearly 40 people in 24 units at the Jamestown Village Apartments on Lackawanna Street were believed to be displaced by flooding, according to the Pennsylvania Rivers Chapter of the American Red Cross. The Red Cross opened an emergency shelter for those residents.
There were also isolated reports of downed trees and limbs from the storms. The Met-Ed outage map was showing about 3,700+ customers in the county without power shortly after 2 p.m. By 10 p.m., around 2,500 were still without power.
The unsettled weather is likely to continue into the daytime Monday with showers possible, then there should be some clearing late in the day with a northwest wind as a cool front nears the region, according to AccuWeather. Then sunny conditions with highs near 90 degrees on Tuesday and Wednesday are forecast.
Meanwhile, the state Department of Environmental Protection-issued drought watch remains in effect for Berks County and the entire state.
Only the southcentral counties remain in the category of 26% to 50% below normal for the year. Berks and the rest of the southeast are faring much better in the 11% to 25% deficit range.
Going into the weekend, Berks was firmly in the latter category. With the strength of the tropical downpours on Sunday, much of that remaining deficit was erased.
