Storm clouds before the rain, 3 Sept 2026 at 6pm (photos by Kate St. John)

7 September 2026

On Thursday 3 September severe thunderstorms hit the Pittsburgh area with high winds and torrential rain. The official rain total at the airport was 2.14″ but that rain came all at once. At a sensor near Schenley Park, the rain came down at the rate of 5.58″ per hour for 15 mins and then the sensor lost power.

Areas east of the city were hard hit, especially Westmoreland County and eastern Allegheny.

Schenley Park didn’t suffer too much but there were interesting side effects.

On a walk on Friday at the Bartlett end of Schenley I could tell that Panther Hollow Run had flooded, but it often does. I was surprised however to find six fullsize bricks scattered along the creek bank below the Hollow Run Trail bridge. Here’s where they came from.

At the head of the Panther Hollow Run valley, where the creek resurfaces(*) in three big drain pipes, I found another brick mostly buried in mud. This one couldn’t move but the other six were 290 yards downstream, carried by the flood for the length of three football fields.

Panther Hollow Run Valley after flash flood, 4 Sep 2026 (photo by Kate St. John)

Three pipes were inadequate to handle the flood. Water came down overtop the pipes and carried an orange cone with it, perhaps dislodging these structural stones.

The head of Panther Hollow Run resurfaces in these 3 pipes, 4 Sep 2026 (photo by Kate St. John)

The flood came from on Bartlett Street and eroded the hillside. (* The creek is buried under Bartlett Street.)

Flood aftermath seen from Bartlett Street, 4 Sep 2026 (photo by Kate St. John)

Many people in western Pennsylvania are still cleaning up, making insurance claims, and calling FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency).

“A Hard Rain’s a-Gonna Fall” (Official Audio) on YouTube