First Alert Weather

Saturday Soaker: Storm brings heavy rain, strong winds, flooding

Saturday's storm brought heavy rain, gusty winds and flooding in the Philly suburbs, South Jersey and Delaware

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A First Alert is in effect from 4 a.m. Saturday to midnight due to a storm bringing heavy rain, strong winds and flooding. 

It is the wettest day on record in March in Philadelphia, according to the National Weather Service.

Storm impact

The strong coastal storm brought heavy rain, possible flooding, and breezy conditions that started at 4 a.m. Saturday and lasted until midnight.

From high winds at the Jersey Shore, to road closures in Horsham and other Pennsylvania suburbs and even creeks flooding in Northeast Philly, our region is under a flood watch until 8 a.m. Sunday morning.

Flight delays

Many flights were delayed or canceled at the Philadelphia International Airport due to the storm moving through.

PHL reported that 221 flights were delayed on Saturday while 18 flights were cancelled.

To check your flight status visit phl.org/flights.

Rainfall totals

The forecast now expects a wide area to receive 2.5 to 3.5 inches of rain, with the heaviest rain along the I-95 corridor. Some neighborhoods could see up to 4 inches.

The National Weather Service reported that this was the wettest March day on record in the city of Philadelphia.

The service's weather gauge at the Philadelphia International Airport recorded 3.06 inches of rain as of 2 p.m. on Saturday.

Timing of the rain

Rain started from the south late Friday night before getting heavier on Saturday morning.

It became especially heavy in the afternoon. It should start to lessen late Saturday evening.

Flooding concerns

The National Weather Service has issued a Flood Watch for our entire area.

The flood watch will remain in effect for our region until 8 a.m. Sunday morning.

Officials are warning drivers to be careful as they travel this weekend because of flooding throughout the region. NBC10's Karen Hua and Brian Sheehan report. 

The main worries about flooding are now focused on the I-95 corridor. Expect road ponding and possibly creek and stream flooding, too.

Evesham police issued an alert to tell residents to travel with caution. The roads near Route 70 and Plymouth Drive are flooded.

Meanwhile, police in Lansdowne are reporting major flooding in certain areas.

Police in Gloucester Township, New Jersey reported several road closures as of 4:30 p.m. on Saturday.

Somerdale Road is closed between Chews Landing and Lamppost roads while Hider Lane is closed between Little Gloucester and Kelly Drivers roads.

Good Intent Road in Deptford is also closed between Clementon Avenue, Barnsboro Road and Treeline Drive.

The National Weather Service said that the Pennypack Creek reached nine feet today overtaking some bridges and walking paths at the park.

Heavy wind

Expect gusty wind conditions, especially along the coast, with winds around 30 mph and gusts up to 40 mph.

Winds may cause downed trees and power outages due to the saturated ground.

Power outages

PECO reported customers without power:

  • Bucks Co. - 125
  • Chester Co. - 465
  • Delaware Co. 69
  • Montgomery Co. - 784
  • Philadelphia Co. - 441
  • York Co. - 9

PPL reported customers without power:

  • Lehigh Co. - 156
  • Monroe Co. - 793
  • Northampton Co. - 168

PSE&G reported customers without power:

  • Burlington Co. - 0
  • Camden Co. - 7
  • Mercer Co. - fewer than 5

Atlantic City Electric reported customers without power:

  • Atlantic Co. - fewer than 5
  • Burlington Co. - 0
  • Camden Co. - 0
  • Cape May Co. - Fewer than 5
  • Cumberland Co. - 0
  • Gloucester Co. - Fewer than 5
  • Ocean Co. - Fewer than 5
  • Salem Co. - 11

Delmarva reported customers without power:

  • Kent Co. - 0
  • New Castle Co. - 92
  • Sussex Co. - 0

Better conditions on Sunday

Sunday will be much nicer with a mixture of clouds and sunshine and temperatures in the low 50s. 

Get the latest weather updates by following the NBC10 First Alert Weather team and downloading the NBC10 app.

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