A vintage-style illustration showing a massive flood engulfing downtown Pittsburgh during the St. Patrick’s Day Flood of 1936. Murky water surges through the streets, nearly submerging early 20th-century buildings and storefronts. People scramble to rooftops and upper windows while emergency responders navigate makeshift rafts. Bridges and steel infrastructure loom in the background under stormy skies.

The St. Patrick’s Day Flood of 1936: Pittsburgh Underwater

Events & Turning Points, Landmarks & Architecture

In March 1936, as Pittsburghers prepared for St. Patrick’s Day festivities, an unprecedented convergence of weather conditions unleashed one of the most devastating natural disasters in the city’s history—the St. Patrick’s Day Flood of 1936. Known locally as “The Great Flood,” it submerged entire neighborhoods, displaced thousands of residents, and fundamentally reshaped Pittsburgh’s approach to…