What comes to mind when you hear of The Great Flood in Johnstown? You probably think of the flood that killed 2,209 western Pennsylvanians on May 31, 1889. Heavy rains, along with a weakened South Fork Dam, combined at the worst possible time to cause a disaster. The dam failed, sending water from Lake Conemaugh rushing through the town, killing nearly 2,000 residents in only ten minutes. Nearly a century later, the Johnstown Flood of 1977 would make headlines across the state. When it comes to horrific disasters in Pennsylvania, both of these floods remain among the worst our state has ever seen:

Thunderstorms tracked across western Pennsylvania on July 20, 1977, dropping between two inches and a foot of rain, depending on which part of town you were in.
Wikimedia Commons/Ron Shawley
The above photo is an aerial shot of Johnstown after the 1977 flood. As you can see, the town was just about entirely obliterated by the waters - and the details are just grim.
One particular storm stood still over Johnstown, causing devastating flash floods after a foot of rain fell in only 24 hours.
Wikimedia Commons/Ron Shawley
Nothing quite like it had ever happened before - and we hope it won't happen again.
Like the Great Flood of 1889, Johnstown's dams failed, causing devastation.
Wikimedia Commons/Ron Shawley
Unfortunately, the failure of the dams caught the town off guard. Nobody in town was alive for the 1889 disaster, and so lessons learned during that time had been all but lost.
The town had constructed several dams, all designed to eliminate any possibility of flooding.
Wikimedia Commons/Ron Shawley
What's more, each of the dams regularly passed inspections. By all means, they ought to have held up.

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But, the dams were no match for the type of storm that, so sayeth the National Weather Service, only happens once in 1,000 years.
Wikimedia Commons/Ron Shawley
These dams were not designed for a 1,000-year flood.
Flood water, more than 130 million gallons from failed dams and swollen streams, gushed through the town.
Wikimedia Commons/Ron Shawley
Mayhem ensued.
Eighty-four people were killed during the flood which caused an estimated $300 million in damages.
Wikimedia Commons/Ron Shawley
Countless others were left homeless. The disaster made national headlines, and folks wondered how on earth such a thing could have happened.
The Great Flood of 1977 had a major impact on the area.
Wikimedia Commons/Ron Shawley
Many businesses shut down or relocated altogether. And, the town saw the population decrease by nearly 20 percent during the 1970s due, in large part, to the effects of the flood.

The 1977 Johnstown Flood in Pennsylvania devastated the town, but Pennsylvanians remained resilient and rebuilt.

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Johnstown Flood 1977

Tori Jane | January 03, 2023
  1. What made the Johnstown flood of 1977 so notable?  

On July 19th, 1977, an unusual event occurred, resulting in pure chaos: a thunderstorm stalled over the Johnstown area, dumping 12 inches or more of rain in 24 hours. Six dams in the area failed, resulting in incredibly traumatic flooding for much of the town. The Laurel Run Dam was the largest to fail, releasing an incredible 101 million gallons (or more) of water on the town of Tanneryville, claiming the lives of 41. Nothing quite like it had ever occurred before – and hopefully, nothing like it will ever occur again.  

2. What were some other prolific floods in Pennsylvania's history?  

Unfortunately, the Johnstown flood isn’t the only flood in Pennsylvania’s history; flooding is one of the natural disasters the state is prone to. Other notable floods in PA history include: 

 

3. What kind of natural disasters are there in Pennsylvania? 

Flooding is not the only disaster known to occur in Pennsylvania. Other natural disasters in PA include ones like:  

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