It has felt like a never-ending monsoon season in the region. As the area wrapped up the month of May and headed into June, the rain just kept coming. Inconveniently, most of these rain events seemed to happen over the weekend.
Case in point, Saturday, June 14, was very wet in some areas. Weather stats from the National Weather Service’s weather station at Venango Regional Airport were sketchy with some missing data. However, the precipitation count for that weekend was around 1.34 inches. My parents reported nearly two inches of rain in their gauge through Saturday, June 14.
According to Facebook posts, Route 8 from Kaneville to Rouseville was closed around 1 p.m. June 14 due to flooding. It reportedly opened later in the evening. There were also reports of Route 322 being closed for flooding near Meadville.
Case in point, Saturday, June 14, was very wet in some areas. Weather stats from the National Weather Service’s weather station at Venango Regional Airport were sketchy with some missing data. However, the precipitation count for that weekend was around 1.34 inches. My parents reported nearly two inches of rain in their gauge through Saturday, June 14.
According to Facebook posts, Route 8 from Kaneville to Rouseville was closed around 1 p.m. June 14 due to flooding. It reportedly opened later in the evening. There were also reports of Route 322 being closed for flooding near Meadville.
Not to be outdone, areas in mid and southern Venango County got drenched on June 17, 18 and 19.
Here in Pinegrove Township, Venango County, on June 17 there was at least 3 inches in my parents’ rain gauge for the day. Then there was approximately another 2 inches on June 18 and nearly three quarters of an inch from storms on June 19.
Here in Pinegrove Township, Venango County, on June 17 there was at least 3 inches in my parents’ rain gauge for the day. Then there was approximately another 2 inches on June 18 and nearly three quarters of an inch from storms on June 19.
| Some of those deluges didn’t reachFranklin. The weather services’ station at the Venango Regional Airport reported 1.05 inches on June 17, 1.25 inches on June 18 and .39 inches on June 19. Closer to Pinegrove Township, the national weather service’s data from a station in Clarion reported 1.38 inches of rain on June 17, .69 inches on June 18 and .27 inches on June 19. Allegheny river levels in Franklin that had reached 9.42 feet on June 14 had lowered to 5.6 feet on June 18. The totals appeared not to show the rain that fell on June 17. |  |
This made sense to me as many of the waterways in Pinegrove Township feed East Sandy Creek which enters the Allegheny River south of Franklin.
 Tadpoles in vernal pool   Bullfrog tadpoles   | A look at the river levels in Parker revealed a slight hike in river levels on June 18. The river rose from 5.6 feet on June 17 to around 8 feet on early June 18. However, there must have been some isolated downpours before that date. On June 15, the Allegheny River at Parker crested at 10.37 feet. It continued to recede until it got a boost on June 18 and then climbed again to 9.85 on June 19. By June 22 the Allegheny River at Parker had decreased to 6.57 feet. Meanwhile, river levels in Franklin went up to 7.7 feet on June 17 through the 20. They continued to fall and were at 6.69 feet on June 22. On a side note, the river levels at Franklin hit 9.93 feet on May 4. A look at other area waterways in May and June unveiled many ups and downs. Oil Creek at Rouseville rose up to 6.17 feet on June 14 at 1 p.m. The level then dropped to 4.7 feet by that evening. The creek climbed to 5.83 on June 18 but had receded to 3.35 by June 22. The creek had risen to 6.17 feet on May 4, but the total on May 22 surpassed it at 6.38 feet. The flood level for that area is 11 feet. French Creek at Utica peaked at 7.13 feet on June 14. The creek was hovering around 3.38 feet before that deluge. The creek saw an increase to 6.34 feet on June 20 and then began falling again to 5.16 feet around June 22. The Clarion River at Cooksburg was at 10.66 feet on June 15. It dropped to 9.52 feet on June 18 and 9.45 feet on June 19. By June 19 the river slowly receded to 5.39 feet. All the extra water wreaked havoc on recreational boating on the weekends. “Unfortunately, the Allegheny River is high and fast and will remain that way throughout this weekend. The outfitting side of AO will remain closed,” Allegheny Outfitters of Warren posted Friday, June 13 on their Facebook page. “For those considering going out (which we do not recommend!) please understand the water is very swift and very cold for this time of year. Islands will be submerged, and stopping will be much trickier due to the volume of water, and the power that volume brings… Please make good decisions. Don't put yourself or our volunteer rescue personnel in harm’s way,” the post continued. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the first time that the equipment store had suspended rentals. On May 22, the store reported, “... there's no need to sugar coat it, it will not be safe to be on the Allegheny River this weekend.” Due to increased outflows from Kinzua Dam, the store closed its outfitting side on June 10 as well, continued a post on the AO’s Facebook page. However, by June 20, the business was able to be open for regular operations. The Warren County business wasn’t the only one affected by high water this year. |
“Good morning! Unsurprisingly after the torrential downpours yesterday, the river is high and swift, so we are currently closed. We cannot predict how quickly it will recede, but we will provide an update, when possible,” the Pale Whale Canoe Fleet in Cook Forest State Park posted June 10 on its Facebook page. Other posts announced that the business was closed on June 14 and 15 due to swift water levels.
The business posted, “You guessed it - we are closed,” on June 21. However, by June 22 the Clarion River had receded enough for them to resume operations.
The tailwater fishing access had been closed at the Kinzua Dam due to increased water releases. Nonetheless, by June 17 the operators were able to open fishing access again.
Meanwhile, for the month of April, Franklin was above the normal for precipitation. The total was 4.92 inches, which was higher than the average of 4.15 inches for the month.
The business posted, “You guessed it - we are closed,” on June 21. However, by June 22 the Clarion River had receded enough for them to resume operations.
The tailwater fishing access had been closed at the Kinzua Dam due to increased water releases. Nonetheless, by June 17 the operators were able to open fishing access again.
Meanwhile, for the month of April, Franklin was above the normal for precipitation. The total was 4.92 inches, which was higher than the average of 4.15 inches for the month.
Northern water snake
| The total precipitation for May 2025, according to the National Weather Service statistics, was reported at 5.91 inches, which was above the normal at 4 inches. The accumulation-to-date on June 22 was 24.23 inches for the year so far which exceeded the normal of 20.99 inches. While the region got a break from the rain, temperatures were on the rise in Franklin. The highest temperature for April was 83 on April 25 and 30. The lowest temperature was marked as 22 on April 9. The highest temperature in May for Franklin was 83 degrees on May 2 and 13. |  |
The lowest temperature was recorded as 34 degrees on May 10. Overall, the average high temperature for the month of May 2025 was 68.7 degrees, which was lower than the average of 70. 9 degrees.
June temps for this year appeared to be a different story. Heat advisories were issued from June 22 through June 25.
A look back at National Weather Service data for Franklin revealed some high temperatures from way back.
The highest temperature recorded for Franklin on June 23 was 96 degrees in 1923, according to National Weather Service data. On a cooler note, 1972’s high for June 23 was only 57 degrees. A high of 95 degrees was reached on June 24, 1923, and a high of 98 was set on June 25, 1921.
June temps for this year appeared to be a different story. Heat advisories were issued from June 22 through June 25.
A look back at National Weather Service data for Franklin revealed some high temperatures from way back.
The highest temperature recorded for Franklin on June 23 was 96 degrees in 1923, according to National Weather Service data. On a cooler note, 1972’s high for June 23 was only 57 degrees. A high of 95 degrees was reached on June 24, 1923, and a high of 98 was set on June 25, 1921.
Dragonfly
Early Monday morning the National Weather Service office in Pittsburgh posted to its Facebook page that at 1:56 a.m. Franklin's temperature was 75 degrees and Clarion's temperature was 77.
While all the crazy weather locally seemed to be an inconvenience, the area appeared to have it better than southern areas that experienced dramatic flooding.
However, 40 years ago during a tornado outbreak, the region was not so lucky.
A look back describes the devastation that took place on May 31, 1985.
While all the crazy weather locally seemed to be an inconvenience, the area appeared to have it better than southern areas that experienced dramatic flooding.
However, 40 years ago during a tornado outbreak, the region was not so lucky.
A look back describes the devastation that took place on May 31, 1985.
Lady slipper orchids
Meanwhile, the local lady slipper patches thrived and then subsided just like the river levels. The patches seemed to be doing well and then the blooms faded by mid-June.
During several rain events, waterfalls could be seen in places where they weren’t normally present. The swelled creeks created hazardous crossing conditions.
The wet conditions provided sanctuary for tadpoles striving to survive in various vernal pools.
During several rain events, waterfalls could be seen in places where they weren’t normally present. The swelled creeks created hazardous crossing conditions.
The wet conditions provided sanctuary for tadpoles striving to survive in various vernal pools.
Humidity and heat will undoubtedly stir up some more moisture as rain is forecast for the end of June. That's just the nature of things 'round here.
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