It took a little while for the forecasted rain to arrive in Schuylkill County on Monday. But when it did, jeez … it really did.
Based on reports to the National Weather Service, some parts of Schuylkill County received 5 or more inches of rain.
One location near Hometown, Rush Township, reported nearly 6 inches of rain. In Orwigsburg, just a few drops more than 5 inches of rain fell.
On average, most of the county received at least 3 inches, closer to 4. Nearly 5 inches fell on Auburn. And close to 4 inches deluged Schuylkill Haven, Frackville, Pottsville, and New Ringgold.
One area that seemed to be spared the worst of Monday’s rain, but was far from just a drop in the bucket, was the western end of Schuylkill County. In Tower City, a little less than 2 inches fell. And in Valley View, a little more than an inch dropped.
Rainfall in Schuylkill County
From reports to National Weather Service, here are Schuylkill County locations and the amount of rain each received on Monday, June 12, 2023.| Location | Rainfall |
|---|---|
| 2 W Hometown | 5.73 in |
| Orwigsburg | 5.02 in |
| Auburn | 4.81 in |
| Auburn | 4.47 in |
| Schuylkill Haven | 3.90 in |
| Frackville | 3.85 in |
| 1.3 SE Hometown | 3.84 in |
| Pottsville | 3.79 in |
| New Ringgold | 3.70 in |
| Landingville | 3.63 in |
| Minersville 6 W | 2.90 in |
| Bears Head | 2.85 in |
| Tower City | 1.83 in |
| Valley View | 1.23 in |
Too Much Rain and Too Fast
All of this rain was desperately needed but it was a little too much and too fast.
The heavy rain caused all sorts of problems in the Pottsville area and its surrounding environs.
Flooding led to backed up basements, stores getting flooded, and closed roads around the city.
The nearly 4 inches of rain that fell on Pottsville caused problems in all the usual places Monday.
At Second and West Market streets, rainwater had to be pumped out of locations at Tres restaurant and Drasdis & Son clothing shop. Both streets had to be closed for a while as fire crews tended to the backed up water that flooded part of Second St.
Here’s the scene as it unfolded on Second St. in this photo provided by Tres Restaurant:
Pottsville Free Public Library, just down the block on W. Market St. had to close early for the day due to flooding there, too.
At the infamous railway bridge overpass in Mount Carbon, two vehicles with a total of 7 people inside had to be rescued from flood waters, according to dispatches on emergency radio.
Later, a tree fell on some power lines, which kept that portion of S. Centre St. closed for several hours on Monday.
Road closures were also reported on Peacock St. in Pottsville, as well as Route 209 near Cumbola and Tumbling Run Rd., and numerous other locations.
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