December 18, 2023
COURTESY/NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
A radar image from the National Weather Service shows flooding across Southeastern Pennsylvania and South Jersey following a deluge of heavy rains throughout the region.
The Philadelphia area woke up to a host of weather-related disruptions on Monday after heavy rains drenched the region.
Flooding, road closures, power outages and flight delays were reported throughout Philadelphia and several nearby counties in Southeastern Pennsylvania and South Jersey as the rain continued to fall Monday morning. As of 11:30 a.m., a Flood Warning is in effect for Philadelphia, Bucks, Burlington, Camden, Delaware, Gloucester, Mercer and Montgomery counties until 1:00 p.m.
For many, the Monday morning commute proved more challenging than normal as rain flooded roadways throughout the region. In Philadelphia, a stretch of Delaware Avenue between Christian and Race streets was closed early Monday due to flooding, the city’s Office of Emergency Management said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
Driving conditions along a stretch of I-76 near Montgomery Drive also were impacted by the rainy weather.
Flooding also led to road closures and traffic delays across the Philadelphia suburbs and South Jersey. In Camden, a fire truck that was dispatched for water rescues got stuck in the floodwaters in the early morning, according to 6ABC. Rising floodwaters also shut down roads in Lower Moreland Township in Montgomery County and multiple locations in Bucks County, according to CBS Philadelphia. The rain also complicated efforts to repair a large sink hole that recently formed on Route 202 in King of Prussia.
This is Columbus Blvd at Race Street. Columbus is closed between Christian and Race because of flooding. @KYWNewsradio @KYWRadioTraffic pic.twitter.com/98Oe56nX3B
— Tim Jimenez (@TimJRadio) December 18, 2023
Several parts of South Jersey closer to the coast were under a Wind Advisory as officials said wind gusts of up to 60 mph were possible, according to 6ABC’s AccuWeather report.
As of 11:30 a.m., there were a total of 47 flight delays and two cancellations at Philadelphia International Airport, according to live data from Flight Aware.
Flooding is ongoing in several areas this morning with 2 to 5 inches of rain reported so far. DO NOT drive through flooded roadways or go around barricades where roads are closed. The rain will taper off later this morning into the afternoon. #pawx #njwx #dewx #mdwx
— NWS Mount Holly (@NWS_MountHolly) December 18, 2023
PennDOT continued issuing warnings of several potential travel delays throughout the morning, including additional flooding on Delaware Avenue near Richmond Street.
The wet, windy weather also had an impact on utility service throughout the region. As of 11:30 a.m., PECO reported 119 active power outages with over 6,000 customers affected; around 8:00 a.m., PECO reported 123 power outages affecting nearly 2,500 customers. In South Jersey, Atlantic City Electric customers are grappling with over 200 outages and 1,300 affected customers, though those numbers are lower than they were around 8:00 a.m., when 300 outages and nearly 2,500 affected customers were reported.
The rain is expected to continue throughout the day.
