Heavy rain and potent winds batter the Philly region, leading to power outages and floods

One of the region’s wettest winter periods on record has added a significant chapter to an already disruptive legacy, with widespread flooding and downpours driven by tree-downing winds more appropriate to a tropical storm — and, evidently, it won’t be over even when it’s over.

After hours of certifiable nastiness, the worst of the winds and rains were expected between 9 p.m. Tuesday night and midnight, said Alex Staarmann, meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Mount Holly.

The rains were expected to shut off before the calendar flips to Jan. 10, he said, but flooding is forecast to persist Wednesday along the Delaware and Schuylkill Rivers, and on the usual-suspect streams such as the Neshaminy Creek in Bucks County, and the Brandywine Creek, in Chester County. Another rainstorm is expected Friday into Saturday. But, hey, something resembling actual winter is due to return next week.

This latest storm had a decidedly un-wintry feel as potent winds from the southeast drove temperatures deep into the 50s Tuesday night, along with sheets of rain. The wind and rain took down trees and closed roads, canceled Amtrak trains, swelled streams, and knocked out power to at least 150,000 utility customers in the region.

Numerous schools in the region announced late openings for Wednesday.

A gust of 59 mph was recorded in New Castle County, Delaware, and surges of heavy rain moved the National Weather Service to issue a blanket flood warning, in effect until 11:59 p.m. Tuesday, for Philly’s Pennsylvania neighboring counties and northern Delaware, as up to three inches of additional rain was expected atop what had already fallen.

Several overburdened streams sloshed over their banks, and major flooding was forecast along Chester Creek, in Delaware County, and the Brandywine at Downingtown.

The storm contributed to the partial collapse of a roof at the Royal Inn motel in Bellmawr, Camden County, said Daniel DiRenzo, Bellmawr fire chief/Office of Emergency Management coordinator. No injuries were reported.

The wind and rain associated with a massive storm affecting virtually the entire East Coast were to wind down during the early-morning hours, but the weather service warned that gusts could reach 55 mph in the immediate Philly region and maybe as high as 70 along the Jersey coast.

» READ MORE: Philly is one of top cities most at risk of extreme rains

New Jersey declared a state of emergency, and counties activated emergency plans. Lt. Andrew Napoli of the Philadelphia Police Marine Unit said officers would be deployed to flood-prone areas such as West Philadelphia along Cobbs Creek; Manayunk along the Schuylkill; and Columbus Boulevard by the Delaware River.

The weather service posted a buffet of advisories and warnings, including a flood watch for the entire region in effect through Wednesday afternoon, a coastal flood warning for areas along the lower Delaware River, a wind advisory for inland areas, and a high-wind warning Tuesday night into Wednesday for the Jersey Shore counties.

Said Ray Martin, a lead meteorologist at the National Weather Service Office in Mount Holly: “It’s a bad situation.”

As predicted, the rain and wind increased during the night Tuesday, and the fact that they were blowing from the southeast could exacerbate flooding problems in the region, the weather service said.

The winds will push Delaware Bay waters northward, increasing the tidal threat on the lower Delaware.

Plus, they would enhance rainfall on the mountain areas to the north. Winds blowing upslope give air an extra lift, thus increasing rain potential. Some of that water, along with snow melt, is likely to find its way into the Schuylkill and Delaware Rivers and have downstream effects Wednesday.

“It’s a lot of water that’s going to be coming down the river,” said Martin.

Moderate flooding was forecast along the Delaware at Washington Avenue for late Tuesday night, which could lead to more road closures, the weather service said, with minor flooding expected both Wednesday and Thursday afternoons.

Along the Delaware at Burlington, moderate flooding was likely during the early morning and early afternoon Wednesday, with minor flooding Thursday afternoon.

The Schuylkill was forecast to crest just below the moderate level at 30th Street about noon Wednesday, and reach the moderate threshold at Norristown during the afternoon. A flood warning was in effect for the Schuylkill at Norristown from early Wednesday until early Thursday.

With the saturated ground, the strong winds have brought down some trees and knocked out service to electric-utility customers. In addition, the winds are due to shift to the southwest early Wednesday, “and that wind shift can’t be a good thing on vulnerable limbs,” said Paul Dorian, a Valley Forge-based meteorologist with Arcfield, a commercial weather company.

Spokespeople for Peco and Atlantic City Electric cautioned that outage-causing winds also can impede restorations. They said crews can’t use their bucket trucks if winds reach 30 mph.

Of some concern was the possibility that even stronger winds will be crossing the region about 5,000 feet up, said Dave Dombek, senior meteorologist with AccuWeather Inc. A thunderstormwasn’t out of the question, and that could transport some of those more-potent winds to the surface, he added, in which case, “you’re looking at damage.”

Philly is coming off its third-wettest December on record.

But almost as forgotten as the Eagles’ winning streak was a bone-dry October that lapped into November. On Nov. 21, the interagency U.S. Drought Monitor had the entire region under its “abnormally dry” category, with most of Chester County and half of Delaware County in “moderate drought.” The dry spell ended abruptly that day, and two daily rainfall records fell the next month.

Yet, for 2023, total precipitation finished closed to normal for the year, despite the 7.92 inches in December.

Even more precipitation fell in December 2009 — a month that included two feet of snow — and in 1996, which was snowless.

» READ MORE: The rains keep coming; the snow doesn't

In those years, the rains backed off in January. This time around, they show no signs of doing so.

In fact, another rainstorm is due Friday into Saturday, with perhaps another flooding threat. The rain will be accompanied by a warm surge, with temperatures soaring into the 50s, said Dombek, but “that’s the caboose for the really mild air for awhile.”

He said a cooldown will come in pulses, and “after that, it’s like, ‘Katie, bolt the door.’”

Stay tuned.

Staff writer Robert Moran contributed to this article.