Flood threat ebbs, but more than 55,000 still without power after deadly derecho and ‘rare’ day of storms

Even as 10s of thousands of people remained without power from the most recent set of damaging storms, heavy rains Friday afternoon and evening set off minor flooding in the Philadelphia region on both sides of the river.

The National Weather Service said that up to an inch of rain quickly fell in some areas during the afternoon, and on Friday night a corridor of heavy rain along the Delaware River triggered a flood advisory for parts of Philadelphia and the counties adjacent to the river.

During the afternoon, strong thunderstorms inundated parts of Montgomery and Bucks Counties, and flooding was reported along the Schuylkill Expressway near Conshohocken, along Route 202 in Chester County, and on Glenhardie Road near Valley Forge National Historical Park, the weather service said.

Parts of Ocean County were particularly hard-hit, and flooding reports included the closing of a portion of Route 38 in Lumberton, Burlington County.

» READ MORE: ‘Derecho,’ calm, and supercell thunderstorms a 'rare’ and deadly combination for Philly region

But flood watches and advisories were taken down late Friday night, and it appeared that this time the region was spared anything resembling the traumas of Wednesday.

More than 50,000 Peco customers and over 6,000 PSE&G customers were still without power Friday night after rounds of potent storms battered the area this week, including Wednesday’s derecho — essentially a fast-moving squall line that traveled 254 miles and generated gusts up to 93 mph.

Come wind or high water, Peco will be working “around the clock” to restore service to those still powerless, said spokesman Greg Smore. He said crews from as far away as Oklahoma, Illinois, Florida, and New Hampshire were helping.

Wednesday marked one of the utility’s all-time days for outages, with a total of 563,000, he said. At noon, after the derecho cut a 70-mile-wide path through its service territory, 335,000 had lost power.

For an encore, “supercell” thunderstorms broke out Wednesday evening, and having two such events on the same day was at the least “rare,” meteorologists said.

This derecho was blamed for four deaths in the region, the most in the reliable period of record dating to 1950, the weather service said.

» READ MORE: More than 45 deaths, 4 million power outages, part of legacy of 'derecho'

The outages have been all the more “impactful” given the pandemic restrictions, he added.

Another round of showers is possible Saturday afternoon. However, the era of the super-soaked atmosphere is about to come to an end, forecasters said.

After a cold front plows through, Sunday should feature something completely different — an exquisite June day, with temperatures in the mid- and upper 70s.

Temperatures will be a few shades warmer during the workweek, but no more rain is expected until at least Wednesday night.

The official temperature in Philadelphia hasn’t hit 90 yet this year, and no heat waves are on the horizon.

Also: the government’s extended outlook through June 19 sees the odds favoring below-normal temperatures throughout the East.