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Research about Johnstown, Pennsylvania

Source-linked reports with geographic coverage including Johnstown, Pennsylvania.

4 recordsLinked to original sources
USGS1982

Johnstown-western Pennsylvania storms and floods of July 19-20, 1977

Widespread thunderstorms associated with two major squall lines, moved across Pennsylvania between the afternoon of July 19 and morning of July 20, 1977. The western part of outflow boundary produced by the second line became almost stationary in western Pennsylvania and resulted in 6 to 9 hours of nearly continuous thunderstorms. More than 6 inches of rain fell over a 400-square-mile area during this period. In the hills just north and east of Johnstown, rainfall totals were as much as 12 inches. Flash flooding was severe as the storms moved slowly southeastward across the Allegheny, Susquehanna, and Potomac River basins. Peak natural runoff rates greater than 1,000 cubic feet per second per square mile were common for streams draining up to 10 square miles. At eight gaging stations, recurrence intervals for the peak discharges were estimated to be 100 years or more. In addition to high surface runoff, some disastrous flooding also resulted from the failure of seven earthfill-gravity-type dams. At least 78 deaths were attributed to the flooding and eight persons were still listed as missing 1 year later. Total damages in the eight-county flood area were extremely high, possibly exceeding $500 million.

Pennsylvania↗
USGS1979

Field verification of reconstructed dam-break flood, Laurel Run, Pennsylvania

A one-dimensional dam-break flood routing model is verified by using observed data on the flash flood resulting from the failure of Laurel Run Reservoir Dam near Johnstown, Pennsylvania. The model has been developed on the basis of an explicit scheme of the characteristics method with specified time intervals. The model combines one of the characteristic equations with the Rankine-Hugoniot shock equations to trace the corresponding characteristic backward to the known state for solving the depth and velocity of flow at the wave front. The previous version of the model has called for a modification of the method of solution to overcome the computational difficulty at the narrow breach and at any geomorphological constraints where channel geometry changes rapidly. The large reduction in the computational inaccuracies and oscillations was achieved by introducing the actual "storage width" in the equation of continuity and the imaginary "conveyance width" in the equation of motion. Close agreement between observed and computed peak stages at several stations downstream of the dam strongly suggests the validity and applicability of the model. However, small numerical noise appearing in the computed stage and discharge hydrographs at the dam site as well as discrepancy of attenuated peaks in the discharge hydrographs indicate the need for further model improvement.

Pennsylvania↗
USGS1978

Floods of July 19-20, 1977 in the Johnstown area, western Pennsylvania

Intense rainfall on the evening of July 19 and early morning hours of July 20, 1977, resulted in moderate to record flooding throughout much of an eight-county area of southwest Pennsylvania. In a 400-square-mile area directly north and east of Johnstown, rainfall totals of 6 to 12 inches were measured in a six to eight-hour period. Flood peaks having recurrence intervals greater than 100 years were recorded at several sites, primarily in the Conemaugh River basin. Runoff rates were as high as 2,390 cubic feet per second per square mile, in a 5.86-square-mile drainage area in the Little Conemaugh River basin. The Conemaugh River at Seward, which drains 715 square miles, had a peak discharge of 161 cubic feet per second per square mile. The flood waters claimed at least 78 lives and caused total losses in excess of $300 million. Also, seven earthfill dams, used mainly for water supply in the Johnstown area, failed. This report describes the storm and the associated flooding. A tabulation of peak gage heights and discharges for the July 1977 flood and for the maximum flood previously known is included for 57 sites. Data pertaining to the dams that failed are included also. (Woodard-USGS)

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