February 25, 2016
About 13,000 customers were still without power across the Philadelphia region on Thursday morning after thunderstorms ripped through the area and dropped record rainfall.
Gusty winds took down power lines and dropped trees across roadways in several municipalities.
At 7 a.m. Thursday, PECO Energy was reporting 386 outages and 10,600 customers without electricity, with most of those in Bucks County (5,300) and Delaware County (3,700).
In South Jersey, Atlantic Electric was reporting 203 outages affecting 2,400 customers.
A coastal flood advisory is in effect with creeks and rivers swollen due to the heavy rains, with several flood warnings and advisories posted across portions of the region, the National Weather Service said.
The record rainfall for the date was measured at 1.91 inches at the Philadelphia International Airport, breaking the old record of 1.84 inches set in 1979, the weather service said.
With more rain falling across Southeastern Pennsylvania than expected, more flooding is being reported on area waterways, including the Schuylkill River at points in Berks, Chester and Montgomery counties as well as Philadelphia, forecasters said. Flooding is also expected along the Brandywine Creek at Chadds Ford and the White Clay Creek in Newark, Delaware.
Scattered wind gusts to near 45 mph are possible this afternoon.
Large trees reportedly fell on a home on North Wanamaker Street in Wynnefield and another in the 8200 block of New Second Street in Cheltenham, according to the weather service storm reports. A number of trees were reported down Wednesday night on roadways in Willow Grove, Blue Bell and Montgomeryville in Montgomery County as well as Camden, Burlington and Cumberland counties in New Jersey.
The rain and winds disrupted service at Philadelphia International Airport on Wednesday, where a top wind gust of 47 mph was recorded. In eastern Montgomery County, the winds howled for long stretches of time, then stopped, only to resume a short time later. Loud thunderstorms rolled through the area as well.
The storms systems brought tornadoes to the East Coast, killing four in Virginia. The Philadelphia region had been under a tornado watch for most of the late afternoon and night on Wednesday. It expired at 11 p.m.
Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe declared a state of emergency Wednesday night after tornadoes damaged homes and left thousands without power across the state.
The tiny town of Waverly took the brunt of the storm. The Virginia State Police spokeswoman Corinne Geller said a 2-year-old child and two men, ages 50 and 26, were killed there during the storm. Their bodies were found about 300 yards from their mobile home.
At least five structures were damaged in the town of approximately 2,000 and roads leading into town had to be closed because of downed trees and debris tossed by winds gusting to 60 mph, Geller said.
In Appomattox County, a funnel cloud left an 8- to 10-mile path of destruction, injuring seven people and killing one man, state police said.
The cold front will depart the Mid-Atlantic region Thursday morning and the precipitation will be mostly finished.
Here's the forecast for the next several days:
Thursday
Mostly cloudy, with a high near 53. Breezy, with a southwest wind 13 to 21 mph, with gusts as high as 38 mph.
Thursday night
Mostly cloudy, with a low around 32. Breezy, with a west wind 17 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph.
Friday
Mostly sunny, with a high near 40. Breezy, with a west wind 17 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 32 mph.
Friday night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 25.
Saturday
Mostly sunny, with a high near 40.
Saturday night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 33.
Sunday
Mostly sunny, with a high near 54.
Sunday night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 41.
Monday
A chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 56. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Monday night
A chance of showers. Partly cloudy, with a low around 33. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Tuesday
Mostly sunny, with a high near 47.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
