Heavy rain, possible tornadoes in Philly region today; flight delays at PHL, tornado confirmed in northern Delaware
Streets were closed and vehicles stranded in the West Marlborough Township area Thursday. and several water rescues were executed in Coatesville.
The remnants of Tropical Storm Debby are expected to pass through the Philadelphia region Friday afternoon, with heavy rain and wind possible.
The Philadelphia region, South Jersey, and northern Delaware are under a tornado watch until 2 p.m.
A tornado was confirmed to touch down in northern Delaware on Thursday, where flooding created major problems for drivers.
Debby’s heaviest rains and winds expected Friday afternoon
Not much rain has fallen in the region since daybreak Friday, and after two positively drizz-mal days, the skies at times perhaps appeared surprisingly brightened.
But the showers and storms are coming, said Ray Martin, lead meteorologist with the National Weather Service Office in Mount Holly, with the early afternoon to 6 p.m. the likeliest window for the worst of it.
“All the stuff is to the west so far,” he said, but “it’s going to get here.”
Heavy rains still are expected Friday, but Debby’s worst stays to the west of Philly
Heavy rain bands were approaching the Philly region Friday afternoon, threatening the late-day commute, and winds were gusting past 40 mph resulting in about 25,000 power outages and numerous downed trees in Southeastern Pennsylvania and South Jersey.
However, after awaking to a battery of end-of-the-world warnings and advisories following one wild night in the atmosphere, it was evident that Philadelphia would escape the worst effects of what was left of erstwhile Hurricane Debby.
The downpours, flooding, and water rescues were occurring well to the west of the region in the likes York, Dauphin, and Juniata Counties, while along I-95, not much in the way had occurred after daybreak Friday, and at times the sun even appeared.
Is my concert in Philly canceled? How venues, artists, and local officials decide whether to cancel a show
Tuesday night’s Zach Bryan concert at Lincoln Financial Field saw Bryan take the stage an hour late due to torrential downpours forcing 60,000 fans to shelter. The storm could have put a damper on things if it weren’t for a surprise performance by Bruce Springsteen later that night.
But not every performer or venue has “The Boss” in their back pocket, and sometimes events get canceled altogether (albeit rarely).
Canceling or postponing professional sports games, outdoor concerts, and major city events involves a lot of moving parts and for the majority of stadiums and large venues in Philadelphia — the decision to cancel isn’t up to the venues, stadium and venue management say.
» READ MORE: Is my concert in Philly canceled? How venues, artists, and local officials decide whether to cancel a show
— Henry Savage
Flood warning for parts of Bucks and Montgomery Counties
Some Debby-remnant showers finally have worked their way into the region, and the National Weather Service has issued a flood warning for central parts of Bucks and Montgomery Counties until 8 p.m.
The areas included Doylestown and Hatfield.
The weather service said it expected rainfall rates of 1 to 2 inches an hour.
— Anthony R. Wood
Flood advisory posted along the Delaware River
The National Weather Service has posted an advisory for nuisance flooding along the Delaware River.
The river is forecast to crest at minor flood stage, about 2 feet above normal, along Washington Avenue in Philly at 6 p.m. Friday, and an hour later at Burlington.
This type of flooding could result the closing of roads along the river.
Tornado watch extended until 10 p.m. for Bucks County
The government’s Storm Prediction Center has extended the tornado watch to 10 p.m. in Bucks and Mercer Counties.
The watch for other counties in region expired at 2 p.m.
However, said AccuWeather meteorologist Alyssa Glenny, “I would not rule out the risk.”
Cancellations and delays tick up at PHL airport
The Philadelphia International Airport is reporting 57 cancellations and 247 delays as of just before 1 p.m., PHL spokesperson Heather Redfern confirmed, with most travel issues impacting other destinations in the Northeast.
All departing flights are also operating on a 75 to 90 minute delay issued by the Federal Aviation Administration due to the weather.
The airport is also anticipating the need to ground flights at some point today, Redfern said earlier today.
With rain bands approaching, afternoon commute is a concern
Rain bands in Maryland were expected to approach Philadelphia during the afternoon and could arrive during the peak commuting periods, said Alyssa Glenny, a meteorologist with AccuWeather Inc.
“We’re definitely concerned about that,” she said. On summer Friday’s, people tend to leave work earlier.
If the bands hold together – and that’s not a given – they would arrive in the 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. time frame, Glenny said.
Debby is now a ‘post-tropical cyclone.’ What does that mean?
As former hurricanes for eons, Debby has undergone a meteorological metamorphosis this week.
Once upon a time a few days ago, it was a category 1 hurricane making landfall at the Big Bend region of Florida. It became a “tropical storm,” a “depression,” and now is deemed a “post-tropical storm.”
What exactly does all that mean?
Thousands of power outages reported as winds pick up
A gust of 37 mph – near tropical-storm strength – has been recorded at Philadelphia International Airport, and “frequent” gusts up to 50 mph are expected this afternoon.
The National Weather Service has posted a wind advisory in effect until this evening, warning that power outages are possible with tree roots compromised by wet soil.
At 11 a.m., about 16,000 outages had been reported – 12,000 in the PECO service territory and nearly 4,000 in the South Jersey area serviced by Atlantic Electric, the utilities reported.
Over 6 inches of rain has fallen in northern Delaware
All that Debby-related moisture has resulted in some lottery-ball rain totals this week.
In the last 24 hours, 6.31 inches of rain was measured Thursday in Bear, New Castle County, the National Weather Service reported. With over 4.51 inches in Coatesville, Chester County.
By contrast, just 1.5 was measured in West Chester, about 18 miles away. The official total Thursday at Philadelphia International Airport was 1.1 inches.
Delaware tornado had peak winds of 95 mph
The tornado that struck Marshallton in northern Delaware was an EF1 on the Enhanced Fujita scale with peak winds of 95 mph, the National Weather Service reported.
It traveled just 1.13 miles, cutting a 150-yard-wide path, both typical for tornadoes that size.
It was not especially destructive as tornadoes go, although a strip-mall business lost a roof and it did cause some tree damage.
Philadelphia region, South Jersey in a tornado watch until 2 p.m.
The National Weather Service says it expects “favorable conditions” for tornadoes during the day Friday, and again with the approach of a squall line in the late afternoon or early evening.
“You’re working with a lot of juice in the atmosphere,” said Dave Dombek, a senior meteorologist with AccuWeather Inc.
– Anthony R. Wood
Downpours, strong wind gusts and tornadoes possible Friday in Philly
The core of Debby’s remnants are due to pass well to the west of Philly on Friday, and that could put the region in an especially dicey position, forecasters are warning, with the potential for tornadoes.
Thursday night — when Debby, downgraded to a depression, was still in the Deep South — was quite a prequel.
Flash flood warnings were in effect for portions of Chester County where up to 5 inches of rain was reported.
Delays possible at Philadelphia International Airport
Friday could be yet another rough day at Philadelphia International Airport, where FlightAware.com reported 334 arrival and departure delays Thursday.
In addition, inbound flights being held at their points of origin an average of 28 minutes, said airport spokesperson Heather Redfern.
– Anthony R. Wood
Tornado touched down in northern Delaware Thursday
The National Weather Serivce says that a confirmed tornado has been touched down in Marshallton, New Castle County, which is about seven miles west of Wllmington.
The agency said the twister, located over Pike Creek in north-central New Castle County, was confirmed around 7:15 p.m. by law enforcement authorities.
Lee Robertson, the observing program leader at the weather service office in Mount Holly said that based on trained-spotter reports and visual evidence, what hit the area unquestionably was a tornado.