Campus Alert Archive
Penn

The Schuylkill Hits Its Highest Level Since 1869 and Penn Cancels a Day of Classes

PAfloodingadvisorymedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

The remnants of Hurricane Ida drove the Schuylkill River to its highest crest since 1869 on September 2, 2021, after tornadoes were spotted across the Philadelphia region the prior evening. Penn canceled all classes and normal University operations on Thursday, September 2, with some buildings reporting dripping windows and wet basements before resuming normally on Friday.

Alerts
2
Response
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Killed
—
Injured
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Institution
University of Pennsylvania
Private R1 · PA
~28,000 studentsUPennAlert
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTEmail
Approximate reconstructionThe Daily Pennsylvanian (reporting the cancellation)219 chars
Normal University operations, including all classes, are canceled today, Thursday, due to severe flooding in the Philadelphia area. Essential personnel should report as scheduled. Avoid travel near the Schuylkill River.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Penn's cancellation followed multiple tornado sightings in the Philadelphia region the prior evening and the Schuylkill cresting at major-flood stage, making this a compound tornado-plus-flood event rather than a single hazard.
Reconstructed from The Daily Pennsylvanian's reporting; the exact UPennAlert wording is not confirmed against an archive.
ALL CLEAREmail+13 h
Approximate reconstructionPenn Today152 chars
Normal University operations will resume tomorrow, Friday, September 3. The University continues to monitor some areas of campus as water levels change.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

The resume-operations message kept a monitoring caveat because crews were still watching buildings near the river, a measured 'mostly all-clear' rather than an unconditional one.
Reconstructed from Penn Today coverage; not confirmed verbatim.
Context

Background

On September 1-2, 2021 the remnants of Hurricane Ida dropped 5 to 10 inches of rain across eastern Pennsylvania in roughly six hours and spawned several tornadoes in the Philadelphia region. The Schuylkill River reached its highest level since October 1869, flooding the Vine Street Expressway and lapping at overpasses near Penn's West Philadelphia campus. Penn canceled all classes and normal operations Thursday, reporting only minor-to-moderate building issues, and resumed Friday. The flood later became a case study for Penn researchers modeling urban flash-flood risk under climate change.
Analysis

Key Findings

The Schuylkill River crested at its highest level since 1869, driving Penn's first weather closure of the 2021-22 year
Ida hit Philadelphia as a compound hazard: tornado sightings the night of September 1 followed by record river flooding on September 2
Penn's resume-operations message retained a monitoring caveat rather than a clean all-clear because crews were still watching riverside buildings
Outcome
Penn canceled normal operations and all classes Thursday, September 2; operations resumed Friday, September 3. Some campus buildings had minor-to-moderate water intrusion, with no major structural damage reported.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Official
    When the Schuylkill swallowed the city: Lessons from Hurricane Ida's historic flood - Penn Today
    penntoday.upenn.edu
  2. Student Paper
    Penn suspends University operations as flooding wrecks Philadelphia - The Daily Pennsylvanian
    thedp.com
  3. Source
    Hurricane Ida: USGS Response in Pennsylvania - U.S. Geological Survey
    usgs.gov
Tags
floodinghurricane-idapennsylvaniaphiladelphiaschuylkillcampus-closure2021
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion