Those traveling to school and work Tuesday morning were met with flooding and road closures from a system of drenching downpours. NBC10’s Deanna Durante shows us the conditions in the Philadelphia suburbs.
What to Know
- Watch out for wet roads and dangerous conditions as soaking rains hit Tuesday.
- Even after the heaviest rain moved out Tuesday afternoon, you could expect on and off showers into Wednesday.
- Parts of South Jersey and Delaware faced a risk for severe thunderstorms Tuesday afternoon, with the chance for a tornado. There was a midday tornado warning for part of Cape May County.
The drenching downpours that led to dangerous driving conditions for commuters across the region Tuesday morning came to an end by late afternoon, but not before leaving behind areas of localized flooding and a tornado warning for Cape May County, New Jersey.
The warning was issued for north of Cape May Courthouse and south of Corbin City, between Maurice River and Sea Isle City. Those towns affected included Dennis, Woodbine and Sea Isle City. The tornado threat expired shortly after noon.
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The NBC10 First Alert Weather Team issued a First Alert for pockets of heavy rain and scattered storms. People were told to expect wet roads during your drive and the potential for flooding in areas where downpours take place. The First Alert expired Tuesday afternoon.
Leftover pockets of rain will still be lingering into Wednesday, however they won't bring the major road closures and disruptions seen earlier on Tuesday.
Before daybreak Tuesday, parts of Berks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery saw heavy downpours. The National Weather Service issued a flood advisory in those areas due to "excessive rainfall." A flash flood warning was then put in effect until 11 a.m. for parts of Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties.
The rain fell so fast in Montgomery County Tuesday morning that part of the eastbound Schuylkill Expressway (Interstate 76) flooded, causing major delays near the merge for Route 202.
The worst of the downpours pushed through the northern and western suburbs during the morning and were drenching Philadelphia, Delaware and South Jersey by midday. The worst of the heavy rain was gone by late afternoon.
One to 3 inches of rain are expected to fall before the system finally moves out Wednesday, with the highest amounts coming during the day on Tuesday. As of late Tuesday morning, more than 2.5 inches of rain had already fallen in Coatesville, Pennsylvania, and Millville, New Jersey.
The highest rainfall total for the region, as of Tuesday afternoon, was reported at the Welcome Center along Interstate 95 in Delaware County, coming in at 4.67 inches at 3:05 p.m.
Meteorologists Michelle Rotella and Steve Sosna spoke about the soaking they experienced Tuesday morning. A good bet was to ride out the worst of the rain until later in the day and plan on having a change of clothes, if needed.
The recent drought watch actually helped us in not seeing more widespread flooding from this rain event.
Flooding wasn't the only concern as southern parts of New Jersey and Delaware were also under a risk for severe thunderstorms into Tuesday afternoon. A tornado can't be ruled out, as evidenced by the earlier warning in Cape May County.
Cooler temperatures have settled in due to clouds and rain with highs only in the 70s Tuesday and Wednesday.
The on-and-off rainfall is expected to taper out by late Wednesday. Sunshine returns Thursday and Friday, with highs back in the lower 80s.
To stay aware of the changes and receive important weather alerts, make sure to download the free NBC10 app and watch our meteorologists’ forecasts on all platforms.
