The powerful storm engulfing the region this afternoon poses a two-pronged threat through tonight and possibly into Wednesday morning. One threat is rain that could cause flooding from rivers and creeks and the other is strong winds that may toppled trees on the other, forecasters say.
A wind advisory from the National Weather Service is in effect from 5 p.m. today through 3 a.m. Wednesday throughout southeastern Pennsylvania.
A flood watch for the region went into effect at 1 p.m. Tuesday and was upgraded to a flood warning Tuesday evening by the National Weather Service until 12:15 a.m. Wednesday and includes Berks, Bucks, Lehigh and Montgomery counties. Flood warnings for Chester and Delaware counties extend until early Wednesday evening.
Rainfall expected to total 2 to 3 inches — with up to 4 inches in some spots — combined with snowmelt may result in flooding of rivers, creeks, streams, and other low-lying and flood-prone locations.
Creeks and streams were already swollen, and the soil saturated, from several drenching rains in December in much of the region.
The ground is so saturated from the rain we’ve had the last 1 ½ months and the snow over the weekend,” said Dave Dombek, a senior meteorologist with AccuWeather, a little after noon on Tuesday. “If we get another 2 to 3 inches of rain the ground just can’t handle any more. There could be serious flooding and creeks, and rivers could get close to flood stage.”
Dombek pointed out that flooding issues will be a stream-by-stream scenario.
With the ground saturated, wind gusts of 50 mph this evening could topple trees that don’t have deep root systems, he said.
Dombeck said the wind will be strongest this evening.
“If I had to pick a time, the worst wind will be between 6 p.m. and midnight, or perhaps 7 p.m. to 1 a.m.” he said.
Power outages are likely, he said.
The wind will diminish quickly in the early morning hours as the storm makes its exit from the region, he said.
The Wednesday morning commute, though dry and less windy, could be impacted by floodwaters and downed trees and limbs, forecasters say.
