After another flood warning, random rains and mugginess are sticking around the Philly area
Downpours set off flood warnings Wednesday night for Philly and surrounding areas, and most of Chester County and northern Delaware. These conditions may be around until Monday, maybe longer.
The steamy, volatile air over the Philly region this week may be right down there with the trash strike on the civic-popularity scale.
But the strike, at least, is over: We may be stuck with the mugginess and random rains for several more days.
Downpours set off flood warnings Wednesday night for Philadelphia and surrounding areas, and most of Chester County and northern Delaware.
Flooding in the streets of Wilmington left “people stranded,” the National Weather Service said. The Mount Holly office issued three radar-indicated tornado warnings — one along the Jersey coast for areas from Brigantine to Long Beach Island, and two in Delaware.
The agency carried numerous reports of stranded cars, including on Baltimore Pike in Chadds Ford, along with “several” water rescues in Glen Mills, Delaware County.
In Chester County, the East Branch of White Clay Creek came out of its banks in Avondale, as did “multiple small streams” in Jennersville.
Chester Creek sloshed over in both the City of Chester and Chester Springs, as did the Red Clay Creek at Kennett Square, the weather service reported.
Flooding on I-95 near the Betsy Ross Bridge resulted in lane closures.
The weather service’s flood watch continued until 2 a.m. Thursday.
Given the recent heavy rains around here, along with the horrific tragedies in Texas and New Mexico, “Everyone is a little bit hypersensitive” to the flooding threats, said Tyler B. Roys, an AccuWeather Inc. senior meteorologist.
However, he added, the state of the science is such that meteorologists can’t offer much in the way of certainty as to when and where storms will pop in any given day.
Yet again, the fury of the storms on Thursday may be exceeded only by their randomness, said Roys.
“You could get nothing, and one block over they get a half inch of rain,” he said.
On Monday, parts of southwestern Chester County got doused with up to 4 inches of rain, according to weather service reports. Officially, a hundredth-of-an-inch was measured at Philadelphia International Airport.
The moisture literally rained “itself out” over Chesco, said Bob Larson, an AccuWeather senior meteorologist. The downpours were spread more generously Tuesday.
When will the rains go away and atmosphere dry out?
These conditions may be around until trash collection resumes Monday, maybe longer.
It’s a summery version of Groundhog Day.
Thursday’s forecast looks very much like Wednesday’s, although it may not be quite as ferocious, the weather service says. (Subject to change, of course.)
Showers are possible again Friday and perhaps again on Saturday and Sunday.
The sultry air remains infused with tropical moisture, and the frontal system triggering the showers remains like an unwanted guest who won’t go away.
Plus, the storms have been feasting on the daytime heating that has been helping to ignite the fuses.
A major concern is the soggy state of the soils, Roys said. Strong storms that generate powerful winds, he said, could take down some trees.
Along with flooded roads, the weather service carried multiple reports of downed trees on Tuesday.
A wind gust of 68 mph was reported in Pottstown, and the weather service had issued four tornado warnings.
However, no twisters were verified. Lee said the damages were the result of “straight-line winds” based on “all the reports we have seen.”
No tornadoes are expected on Thursday, just more showers, and more opportunities for flooding.
If you are tired of this, please skip the next paragraph.
The weather service is calling for chances of showers through at least next Wednesday.