Heavy thunderstorms prompt warnings by meteorologists that many simply overlook.
One such danger is flash flooding.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration describes flash flooding as short-term events that can occur within six hours of heavy rain and often within two hours of the start of "high intensity" rainfall.
A flash flood, according to NOAA, is characterized by a rapid stream rise with depths of water that can reach well above the banks of the creek, with most fatalities occurring in areas immediately adjacent to a creek or stream.
On July 14, a Frackville girl escaped injury or death after she was swept into a drainage pipe just off Arch Street in the borough.
Taylor Russell, 12, was caught in the fast-moving water of the Little Mahanoy Creek between Center and Second streets and sucked into the pipes.
She went underground for about 200 yards before coming out of the piping. She was rescued by firefighters several blocks away.
At that time, Dan Zimmerman, head of the borough's Department of Public Works, said Russell was fortunate the pipes were not cluttered with debris that could have prevented her from being washed down into the open area of the creek.
Flash flooding in that area of the borough is not uncommon when heavy rains hit, Zimmerman said.
Zimmerman said the downpour caused Arch Street, between Center and Second streets, to go under about a foot of water.
He said a majority of storm drains in the borough empty, at one point or another, into Little Mahanoy Creek causing the stream to swell and flood the area.
NOAA said flash flooding can be produced when slow-moving multiple thunderstorms occur in the same area.
When storms move faster, flash flooding is less likely since the rain is distributed over a broader area.
Since many leisure activities take place along small streams and rivers, NOAA urges anyone taking to the outdoors to be aware of the possible dangers.
For example, NOAA said a creek only six inches deep can swell to a 10-foot raging river in less than an hour if a thunderstorm inundates the area with intense rainfall.
When thunderstorms are in the area, NOAA warns people to stay alert for rapidly changing conditions, such as when streams or creeks begin to rise quickly or become muddy.
There may also be a roaring sound upstream that could be a flood wave coming downstream in the direction of a person hearing it.
If such events begin to occur, NOAA urges anyone near the water to move to higher ground to prevent being swept away by the rapidly rising water.
David Truskowsky, a Schuylkill County deputy coroner and member of the West End Fire and Rescue Dive Team, said moving water, such as that caused by flash flooding, is dangerous and capable of sweeping away things in its path, such as vehicles, houses and people.
"Moving water is a very dangerous thing," he said.
Truskowsky said one foot of moving water can move an automobile. With this in mind, he urged motorists not to drive through flooded areas of highways or streets.
In addition to being swept away, Truskowsky said the entire area could be washed away, creating a void under the water.
"You may think it's solid ground because it's asphalt but it may not be, the asphalt may be gone and you won't see it because of the water," he said.
From the point of the coroner's office, Truskowsky said drowning from flash flooding in Schuylkill County is rare, but that is not to say it cannot occur in seconds.
In the case of Russell, Truskowsky said if the girl had become stuck in the underground pipes, dive teams would have had to wait until the water receded before attempting to rescue her.
"At that point, it would have been a combination of confined space rescue and water rescue, that would have been unique," he said.
Although there are dangers with flash flooding and fast-moving water, authorities said that common sense and some preparation can keep people safe, both those who live around creeks or streams or those who plan leisure activities around them.