An Easter weekend storm threatens Schuylkill County with as much as 2 inches of rain before Sunday. The heavy rain could cause widespread significant flooding in the area.
And several Schuylkill County communities hit hardest by flooding in recent years try to get ahead of the storm.
According to National Weather Service forecasts, rain showers and thunderstorms may start Friday afternoon. By nightfall, up to three-quarters of an inch of rain could fall. Then, the chance of heavy rain and storms increases.
Storms on Friday night could contain gusty winds and heavy rain. As much as 2 more inches of rain is expected after nightfall.
Check out this rainfall forecast map from NWS from Thursday night:
This latest model is showing slightly less rain than originally forecast but is still a significant rain storm. And it’s on top of a significant rain storm earlier this week.
Porter Township EOC Ready for the Storm
Officials in Porter Township reported in on Friday afternoon, announcing they opened the municipality’s Emergency Operations Center.
Tremont Mayor Ricky Ney Jr. Opens Emergency Ops Center
Tremont Mayor Ricky Ney Jr posted on social media Thursday evening he’s opening the borough’s Emergency Operations Center/Shelter. Updates from the shelter on storm preparations and updates throughout the storm will be posted on social media when the center’s opened.
“Let’s once again dig down and pull together to become Tremont Strong!” he writes.
Port Carbon Mayor Harold Herndon Says Borough Will Open Emergency Center Friday
Mayor Harold “Bucky” Herndon posted to Facebook that Port Carbon will open its Borough Emergency Operations Center at 8 p.m. on Friday. That’s located at Port Carbon Borough Hall.
“As always, please stay safe. May God watch over us,” he writes.
Other Schuylkill County Flood Prone Areas on Alert
Pine Grove, Pottsville, and Gilberton have also proven to be susceptible to flash flooding recently.
Expect Flood Watches and Warnings
National Weather Service believes it possible for significant flooding to occur on April 20-21 in the area.
During the storm, some flood prone areas experienced some standing water on the roads but no major flooding happened. The biggest impact of that storm this week was the high winds. It knocked down trees all over Schuylkill County.
Luckily for us and especially those hit hardest by flooding, Schuylkill County was spared from a line of severe thunderstorms with heavy rain that passed over the area. That kept more heavy rain that night at bay and creek levels down. To our north and east, at least 5 tornadoes were confirmed across NEPA.
Here’s a look at how much rain fell over Schuylkill County on April 15:
Tremont, didn’t wait for flood waters to rise. The borough ordered voluntary evacuations and opened a shelter for anyone looking to ride out the storm.
Certainly appears we’re looking at a repeat of the rain event at the beginning of the week, just more intense.
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