Akron, Canton, and the Mahoning Valley Under Water

The frequent showers and thunderstorms in July 2003 and slower than normal evaporation due to the relatively cool temperatures primed soil conditions for flooding by late in the month. The tipping point finally arrived the week of July 21-28, 2003 when a warm and moist airmass combined with support from a frontal boundary to produce rounds of thunderstorms with heavy rainfall.

On Monday, July 21, 2003, a large complex of thunderstorms produced torrential rains over much of North-Central and Northeast Ohio into Northwest Pennsylvania during the morning and early afternoon. After a short break, additional thunderstorms developed during the evening and moved very slowly, impacting the same areas repeatedly. This rainfall on already saturated grounds led to widespread flooding, with Summit, Portage, Trumbull, and Mahoning Counties in Northeast Ohio and Crawford County in Northwest Pennsylvania being the hardest hit. An estimated $100 million in damage was done in Summit County alone where tipping bucket surveys estimated that over 10" of rain fell in some parts of the county. An additional $32 million in damage occurred in Trumbull County.

Rivers and streams that exceeded their banks damaged well over a thousand homes in Summit and Trumbull Counties alone, with several hundred declared uninhabitable. Hundreds of roads and bridges were also washed out, and thousands of homes experienced at least basement flooding. Sadly, 5 fatalities occurred from the catastrophic flash flooding. Two of these deaths occurred in an underground parking garage in Hudson when it filled with water in only a few minutes according to witnesses.

To the right is the total 2 day rainfall from July 21-22, 2003. Much of North-Central and Northwest Ohio missed the heaviest rain with amounts of only a few tenths of an inch to 1.6 inches, but 1 to 3 inches of rain was common in Northeast Ohio and Northwest PA. A swath from the Akron, OH area through the Youngstown area to south of Erie, PA saw 2 to 5 inches, with isolated areas accumulating 5 to 10 inches of rain!

There was very little time to recover from July 21st before thunderstorms dumped torrential rains only 6 days later on Sunday, July 27, 2003. This time, the heaviest rainfall was more localized to Canton, Ohio and its surrounding suburbs in Stark County and southern Summit County. The combination of storms producing 2-5" of rain on already saturated ground led to catastrophic flash flooding in Stark County.

The Nimishillen Creek went into a flash flood and devastated the cities of North Canton, Canton, and Louisville. Over a thousand homes and 500 vehicles were damaged by flooding in Stark county, and dozens of roads and at least 3 major bridges were washed out with several water rescues needed. Total damage was estimated near $52 million in Stark County alone from the heavy rains of July 27th. 

To the right is the total 2 day rainfall from July 27-28, 2003. The heaviest rainfall from this second event was more localized to the south side of Akron through the Canton area where amounts ranged from 2 to 5 inches, but much of northern Ohio inland from the Lake Erie shoreline still received anywhere from a half to 1.5 inches of rain.

• 5 direct fatalities.
• 2 men drowned in Hudson (northern Summit County) when an underground parking garage at a condominium complex filled with water in only a few minutes due to Brandywine Creek going into a flash flood.
• One man was electrocuted and killed while working in his flooded basement near Hudson.
• A 10 year old boy drowned on the northeast side of Warren when he was sucked into a culvert.
• One man drowned outside of Cochranton, PA when a bridge washed out, sweeping 3 cars into the French Creek.

To the right is a graph of the Mahoning River at Leavittsburg, OH which reached major flood stage of 17.16 feet which is the third highest crest on record at this location. The river remained above flood stage for over 3 days.

• $100 million damage in Summit County.
• $32 million damage in Trumbull County.
• $30 million damage in Crawford County, PA.
• $20 million damage in Portage County.
• $5 million damage in Cuyahoga County.
• $750 thousand damage in Mahoning County.
• Damage in these 6 counties reached nearly $188 million which would equate to nearly $310 million in 2023. This does not even take into account the damage that occurred in other parts of northern Ohio on July 21, 2003.

To the right is a graph of the Cuyahoga River at Independence, OH which reached major flood stage of 21.12 feet. The river stayed above flood stage for over 2 days.

• Spotters measured 7.5" of rain in Hudson, 7.20" in Richfield, 6.28" in Stow, and 4.60" in Cuyahoga Falls.
• A gauge at Hudson High School recorded 3" of rain in 30 minutes between 7:45 and 8:15 PM EDT.
• Bucket surveys indicated that up to 10.4" of rain may have fallen on July 21st near Hudson.
• Brandywine Creek rose 2 feet every 10 minutes between 8 and 9 PM EDT, flooding an apartment complex in Hudson with nearly 80 residents having to be evacuated by boat.
• Mud Brook Creek flooded the Merriman Valley neighborhood of northwest Akron, cutting off an apartment complex on West Portage Trail and trapping nearly 200 residents. The residents were rescued later the next day after a temporary road was built.
• Tinkers Creek flooded and damaged several dozen homes and businesses in Twinsburg.
• Over 400 homes damaged in Cuyahoga Falls.
• Dozens of people evacuated in Silver Lake and Stow.
• Over 500 homes and around 30 businesses damaged in Stow.
• Hundreds of roads and bridges were washed out with numerous water rescues.
• Over 300 homes in Summit County sustained enough damage to be declared destroyed or uninhabitable.
• As many as 1,000 other homes and businesses sustained lesser damages in the county.

To the right is a graph of the Mahoning River at Youngstown, OH which reached moderate flood stage of 17.49 feet. The river stayed above flood stage for about 3 days.

• The Mahoning River went into major flood, cresting at 17.16 feet at Leavittsburg and 14.88 feet at Warren.
• Extensive damage was done in Leavittsburg, Warren, and Niles with many evacuations needed.
• Most of Leavittsburg was under water.
• 753 homes were damaged in Trumbull County, with 90 declared destroyed or uninhabitable.
• Dozens of roads, culverts, and driveways were washed out.

To the right is a graph of Eagle Creek at Phalanx Station, OH which just touched moderate flood stage of 13.5 feet. The river stayed above flood stage for over 3 days.

• Total rainfall of 2-4" fell across the county.
• Rainfall rates exceeded 2" per hour during the early afternoon hours.
• Devastating flooding in Cochranton, Titusville, Meadville, and Saegertown.
• Dozens of homes and businesses were damaged in Cochranton and many people were evacuated.
• Church Run tributary of Oil Creek flooded parts of Titusville, with residents of North Franklin and West Mount Vernon Streets evacuated.
• Dozens of homes and businesses were damaged in Titusville.
• Widespread street and lowland flooding occurred across Crawford County with water in some areas up to 5 feet deep.
• Dozens of roads and culverts were washed out, and over 50 people were rescued from their homes and vehicles.

To the right is a graph of French Creek at Meadville, PA which did not reach flood stage, but it did reach action stage of 12.21 feet. This is because the gauge is slightly south of where the heaviest rain fell, so the crest at Cochranton, PA was likely much higher.

• Mantua received 4.7", Ravenna measured 3.6", Kent measured 4.13", and the water treatment plant in Kent received 4.6" of rainfall.
• Bucket surveys showed that up to 7" may have fallen in parts of Ravenna.
• Many creeks and streams left their banks leading to widespread lowland and urban flooding, especially in northern and central Portage County.
• Knee deep water was reported in large sections of Ravenna.
• 101 residents of a mobile home park were rescued by boat in Ravenna, with around 150 homes and businesses damaged in the city.
• The Holiday Acres and Pike Parkway neighborhoods in Streetsboro had heavy damage from water up to 4 feet deep.
• 5 water rescues were needed for stranded vehicles in Streetsboro.
• Hundreds of homes and dozens of roads and bridges were damaged in Portage County.

To the right is a graph of the Cuyahoga River at Old Portage, OH which reached minor flood stage of 12.64 feet. This crest was just below moderate flood stage. The river stayed above flood stage at this location for almost 2 days.

• The Cuyahoga River crested at 12.64 feet at Old Portage and 21.12 feet at Independence.
• Over 20 miles of foot trails, several miles of railroad tracks, and 8 bridges were washed out in Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
• Damage in the park exceeded $1 million.
• Major flooding occurred along Canal and Tinkers Creek Roads in Valley View, with many homes along Gleeson, Charles, Frances, and Stone Streets sustaining major damage.
• Over 20 businesses along the river were damaged by flooding.

To the right are monthly rainfall totals for July 2003 across Ohio. Parts of northeast Ohio received 9 to 12 inches or more during the month.

• Rainfall totals averaged 5" in northern portions of the county and 2" in southern portions.
• Rainfall rates approached 2" per hour during the evening hours.
• Urban and lowland flooding occurred countywide.
• The heaviest damage occurred in northeast Mahoning County due to several creeks and streams flooding.
• Many homes and streets in northeast Mahoning County had flood waters up to 4 feet deep.
• Several buildings on the Youngstown State University campus were damaged, and a few motorists had to be rescued from vehicles.

To the right is the average rainfall in the various regions of Ohio for the month of July 2003, along with the percentage of normal rainfall. Northeast Ohio was 230% of normal for the month.

• $52 million damage in Stark County.
• $750 thousand damage in Summit County.
• Damage in these 2 counties reached nearly $53 million which would equate to over $87 million today.

• Rainfall totals of 2-5", with the greatest amounts in northern and central portions of the county.
• Rainfall rates exceeded 2" per hour.
• Worst flooding occurred along the east and west branches of Nimishillen Creek when the creek rose 6 feet in 2 hours.
• The creek crested at an all time high of 14.07 feet at North Industry.
• Over 300 people had to be evacuated from their homes in Canton.
• Hundreds of homes and businesses were damaged in Canton.
• A large factory on Beldon Avenue in Canton had $5 million damage.
• Over 120 homes were flooded in the city of North Canton along the west branch of Nimishillen Creek.
• 24 mobile homes were destroyed and 30 homes declared uninhabitable in Pike Township.
• Over 100 homes were damaged in Louisville west of Broadway Avenue and north of Eastland Avenue.
• Several people were rescued from rooftops and trees in Louisville.
• 36 people were displaced from their homes and 16 businesses were devastated by flooding in Louisville.
• Around 25 people were evacuated from an apartment complex in Lake Township.
• Many homes were damaged in Canal Fulton and Massillon when the Tuscarawas River flooded.
• Many homes were damaged in Minerva when Sandy Creek flooded.
• A total of over 1 thousand homes and 500 vehicles were damaged in Stark County, and 3 major bridges were washed out.

• 2-4" of rain fell across southern portions of the county.
• Rainfall rates exceeded 2" per hour.
• Creeks and streams quickly rose and caused at least minor flooding in many areas since the ground was still saturated from the event on July 21st.
• The flooding was most severe in Green Township where 6 families has to be evacuated.
• Many other homes were damaged in Green Township, and several roads were washed out.

To the right is a graph of Nimishillen Creek at North Industry, OH which reached record flood stage of 14.18 feet. The river stayed above flood stage for about 1 day. This record crest still holds today.

To the right is the total 2-day rainfall from July 21-22, 2003. Much of North Central and Northwest Ohio missed the heaviest rain with amounts of only a few tenths of an inch to 1.6 inches, but 1 to 3 inches of rain was common in Northeast Ohio and Northwest PA. A swath from the Akron, OH area through the Youngstown area to south of Erie, PA saw 2 to 5 inches, with isolated areas accumulating 5 to 10 inches of rain!

To the right is the total 2 day rainfall from July 27-28, 2003. The heaviest rainfall from this second event was more localized to the south side of Akron through the Canton area where amounts ranged from 2 to 5 inches. Much of the rest of northern Ohio inland from the Lake Erie shoreline still received anywhere from a half to 1.5 inches of rain.

We didn’t have a large storm system driving the thunderstorms and flooding on July 21, 2003, though this isn’t uncommon in the middle of summer. Instead, a very slow-moving frontal boundary and repeated rounds of modest  large-scale  lift moving along the  front  triggered repeated thunderstorms over the same general areas. With high atmospheric moisture content in place, the rainfall totals quickly added up where thunderstorms repeatedly tracked. With this rain falling on already saturated grounds in the middle of an unusually wet summer, it did not take long for significant flash flooding to develop where the heavier rainfall totals occurred.

An upper-level  trough  carved out over the Great Lakes on July 21, 2003, with subtle  disturbances  and belts of faster flow aloft embedded within it. Each disturbance and belt of stronger flow aloft was associated with lift and  shear  that supported thunderstorm development. One area of enhanced support moved across Ohio and into western Pennsylvania during the morning hours, driving an initial cluster of thunderstorms. The next piece of enhanced support rounded the base of the trough in the evening, sparking a second round of thunderstorms over areas that already saw heavy rain earlier in the day.

To the right are the upper-level streamlines and wind speeds valid at 8 AM and 8 PM on July 21, 2003. Swipe left and right to toggle between the two images.

High atmospheric moisture and efficient transport of that moisture into our area ahead of an approaching  cold front  was notable, contributing significantly to the flash flooding that occurred. The role of the slow-moving cold front is also evident, with the front sagging in from the north and northwest through the period. Early in the loop, a brief surge of enhanced moisture transport worked west to east across the area. There’s even a kink in the  height  contours with this, indicative of the first weak disturbance that tracked through the area. The disturbance and associated moisture transport helped fuel the first round of thunderstorms. A second surge of moisture, ahead of yet another disturbance and the advancing cold front, moved in several hours later sparking another round of thunderstorms that were efficient heavy rain producers from parts of Northeast Ohio into Northwest Pennsylvania.

To the right is the low-level moisture transport (fill and arrows) and 850mb heights (black lines) looped every 3 hours from 2 AM through 11 PM July 21, 2003.

Weak to moderate  instability  was in place, which helped fuel the thunderstorms that produced flooding this day. A pool of instability driven by the warm and humid airmass lingered into the early morning hours of July 21st, fueling the first round of storms that moved through during the morning and midday hours. This instability was worked over by the first round of storms, though a combination of daytime heating and southwest flow quickly replenished the instability by the evening hours which helped to drive the second round of storms. Sufficient instability was in place during the late morning and early afternoon for the first round of storms to produce some severe weather, including an F1 tornado that struck Youngstown.

To the right are lifted index values, looped from 2 AM to 11 PM July 21, 2003. Larger negative values indicate greater instability.

Average winds between approximately 5,000 feet and 30,000 feet above ground level were persistently blowing from the west-southwest to east-northeast on July 21, 2003. This approximates the motion of storms that developed that day. These winds were blowing in the same direction as the orientation of the advancing cold front, which allowed storms to repeatedly track or “train” over similar areas as they lined up parallel to the advancing cold front. This led to portions of Northeast Ohio and Northwest Pennsylvania seeing multiple storms and rain totals that quickly added up.

To the right are mean winds in the mid-levels of the atmosphere looped every 3 hours from 2 AM to 11 PM July 21, 2003.

The cold front stalled by July 22, 2003 and oscillated back and forth over the next 5 days as weak ripples of low pressure moved along the front. This consistent pattern of a slow moving frontal boundary, wave of low pressure moving along it, abundant moisture, and atmospheric winds aligned parallel to the boundary also led to the second round of organized thunderstorms on July 27th which produced torrential rainfall on Stark and Summit Counties.

The frontal boundary that wavered around for several days finally pushed in as a cold front during the afternoon and evening hours of July 27th. With very warm and humid conditions ahead of it, evidenced by surface temperatures well into the 80s with dew points in the lower 70s, the atmosphere remained primed for thunderstorms that produced torrential rain rates. The cold front acted as a focusing mechanism for storms that developed along and ahead of it, enhancing rainfall amounts and worsening the resultant flooding.

To the right is surface analysis valid at 2 PM EDT on July 27, 2003.

Observed atmospheric profiles showed an environment favorable for heavy rainfall ahead of the cold front that moved through on July 27, 2003. On this sounding, note how both of the black lines are relatively close together through the entire atmosphere, indicating a very moist environment. The atmosphere was also relatively warm with modest instability, which is favorable for efficient rainfall with any thunderstorms. Winds were fairly well aligned out of the west in the low and mid levels, which led to storms tending to train along and ahead of the approaching cold front that was largely oriented from west to east. This maximized how long torrential rain rates lasted over a given location, increasing the rainfall amounts and resultant flash flooding.

To the right is an observed atmospheric sounding from Pittsburgh, PA, valid at 8 PM EDT July 27, 2003. The top of the image represents the upper levels of the atmosphere, with the surface at the bottom of the image. The thick black lines represent the temperature and dew point with height. The barbs on the right represent wind speed and direction with height.

Multiple rounds of thunderstorms impacted the region throughout the day, resulting in torrential rain (orange and red colors in the corresponding loop).

Perhaps the most significant rainfall occurred across portions of Northeast Ohio and Northwest Pennsylvania where repeated rounds of thunderstorms tracked (or  trained ) over the same areas, especially in the first half of the loop (early morning into the afternoon hours).

The final nail in the coffin was felt towards the end of the radar loop in the late afternoon and evening hours. An area of storms across North-Central Ohio organized into an impressive  mesoscale convective complex  that tracked northeast directly over the same areas impacted by the torrential rainfall in the morning hours.

To the right is a radar loop from Midnight to 11 PM EDT on July 21, 2003.

A large  mesoscale convective complex  of thunderstorms developed during the mid-afternoon hours over Northwest and North- Central Ohio ahead of a strong cold front that slowly pushed southeastward. This complex of thunderstorms moved east and southeast across much of North-Central and Northeast Ohio during the evening.

The line of heaviest thunderstorms on the front edge of the complex (red and orange colors) produced rainfall rates in excess of 2 inches per hour. This line generally progressed through the region quickly, but notice how the eastern portion of the line repeatedly tracked through Stark and southern Summit Counties for a couple of hours before finally pushing off to the southeast. This  training  of thunderstorms combined with the extreme rainfall rates produced prolific rainfall totals across Stark and southern Summit Counties. This excessive rainfall combined with the deluge only 6 days earlier resulted in catastrophic flash flooding in the Canton area and surrounding suburbs.

To the right is a radar loop from 3 PM to 9 PM EDT on July 27, 2003.

A  visible satellite  loop from around sunrise to sunset on July 21, 2003 showed the multiple rounds of thunderstorms that impacted Northeast Ohio and Northwest Pennsylvania throughout the day. The "bumps" are the  overshooting tops  associated with the thunderstorms and indicate where the tallest and most organized thunderstorms are occurring. Note the large complex of thunderstorms that tracked eastward out of Indiana during the morning hours and across far Northeast Ohio and Northwest Pennsylvania by early afternoon, followed by several bands of thunderstorms that developed in the evening hours and  trained  across inland portions of Northeast Ohio and Northwest Pennsylvania.

To the right is a visible satellite loop from sunrise to sunset on July 21, 2003.

An  infrared satellite  loop from about Midnight to 11 PM EDT on July 21, 2003 showed the multiple rounds of thunderstorms that impacted Northeast Ohio and Northwest Pennsylvania very clearly. An initial cluster of thunderstorms can be seen crossing Lake Erie and far northern Ohio before sunrise followed by the large complex that tracked out of Indiana and across much of Ohio and into western Pennsylvania from after sunrise through early afternoon. This was then followed by bands of thunderstorms that  trained  across inland portions of Northeast Ohio and Northwest Pennsylvania during the evening. The darkest orange and red colors are the coldest cloud tops and represent where the heaviest thunderstorms were occurring.

To the right is an infrared satellite loop from Midnight to 11 PM EDT on July 21, 2003.

A Flood Watch was issued for much of North-Central and Northeast Ohio through Northwest Pennsylvania, inland from Lake Erie, just before 6:30 PM on July 21, 2003. The primary concern at this point was that new thunderstorm development in the evening would repeatedly move over the same areas that had already seen heavy thunderstorms earlier in the day.

The first Flash Flood Warning of the day was issued at 1:33 PM EDT for Ashtabula and Trumbull Counties in Northeast Ohio and Crawford County in Northwest Pennsylvania. The morning complex of thunderstorms was exiting east of the region at this time, but the back side of the complex had evolved into a comma-shaped low-pressure center called a Mesoscale Convective Vortex (MCV). This caused a band of torrential rainfall to pivot over these counties. Several cars were already stranded in the city of Warren.

Even though the heavy rain ended by mid-afternoon across far Northeast Ohio and Northwest Pennsylvania, creeks and streams continued to rise from significant runoff. The Flash Flood Warning for Crawford County Pennsylvania was extended at 4:38 PM EDT because significant flooding was still being reported in much of the county.

After the thunderstorms redeveloped in the evening hours, they began to train over the same areas that had already seen very heavy rainfall earlier in the day. This led to devastating flash flooding quickly developing as creeks and streams left their banks from the suburbs south of Cleveland through the Akron and Youngstown areas. A Flash Flood Warning was issued at 7:21 PM EDT for Ashtabula, Geauga, Medina, Portage, Summit, and Trumbull Counties.

The showers and thunderstorms also moved into Crawford County, PA during the evening which had already had significant flash flooding during the afternoon downstream of French Creek. The ongoing Flash Flood Warning for Crawford County was extended at 8:46 PM EDT. Significant flooding was expected to continue through the night in the county, especially near Titusville and Cochranton.

The Flash Flood Warning for Medina, Portage, Summit, and Trumbull Counties was extended at 9:47 PM EDT. The heaviest rain was moving out of those areas, but runoff was expected to cause the flooding to continue overnight, especially near creeks and streams and in low-lying areas.

Another round of organized thunderstorms was expected to move through the region during the evening hours of Sunday, July 27, 2003 ahead of a cold front. The ground was still saturated from the heavy rains the week before, and rivers and creeks were still high, so a Flood Watch was issued at 3:11 PM EDT that afternoon. The watch covered portions of Northeast Ohio and Northwest Pennsylvania inland from Lake Erie, which is the same area that saw devastating flash flooding 6 days earlier on July 21st.

An organized complex of severe thunderstorms pushed east and southeast through northern Ohio that Sunday evening July 27th producing torrential rainfall rates in excess of 2 inches per hour. This time, the slowest moving portion of the complex targeted Stark County where Canton and all of its suburbs are located. A Flash Flood Warning was issued for Stark County at 7:01 PM EDT. The Canton Police Department was already reporting flooding across the region, and creeks and streams were expected to rapidly rise out of their banks and worsen the flooding due to excessive runoff.

A walking bridge was washed out in Bath Township.

Another bridge being washed into a creek in Bath Township.

Flooded culvert in Bath Township.

A driveway washed out by a small creek in Bath Township.

Raging creek in Bath Township.

Creek flowing across a gravel road in Bath Township.

Deep flood waters in Bath Township.

Water logged yard in Stow.

Flooded out vehicles at condominiums in Hudson after the flash flood of Brandywine Creek.

Washed out culvert near Hudson.

High water mark halfway up a gazebo near Hudson.

High water marks in a house in Hudson.

Part of the foundation collapsed into the basement of this house in Hudson after flood waters raged through the property.

Chunks of concrete and rocks washed through a culvert on this property in Hudson.

Muddy flood waters behind an apartment complex in Hudson.

High water mark on the outside of a house in Hudson.

Extensive debris washed through a creek in Hudson.

High water mark on a house in Hudson, as well as many flood damaged belongings that needed to be thrown away.

Emptying out a flood damaged house in Hudson.

The water mark was about 4 feet high on this house, and debris was left behind on the deck.

Part of the scenic railroad was washed out in Cuyahoga Valley National Park by the major flooding of the Cuyahoga River.

Damage to the scenic railroad in Cuyahoga Valley National Park after the Cuyahoga River reached major flood stage.

Crews assessing the damage to the scenic railroad that runs through Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

Massive flash flooding of French Creek in Cochranton, PA.

Damage to a road in Cochranton, PA from the flash flooding of French Creek.

Flooding in Mill Village, PA from the French Creek.