Downpours, strong winds move into the region, but the Phils dodged the raindrops
An isolated tornado is possible, the National Weather Service says. Sunshine Monday afternoon actually has increased the threat of strong storms.
For the third consecutive year, weather was threatening the Phillies’ home opener, this one against the Colorado Rockies. It’s nothing personal, Phillies, this can happen most anywhere in the East or Midwest when a baseball game is scheduled for March 31.
But on Monday the Phillies decided to take a calculated risk, and they not only beat the Rockies, they beat the storms — and so did the fans, who were able to exit the jammed Citizens Bank Park well before the first rumor of thunder.
As it turned out, the storms didn’t show up in the immediate Philly area until more than two hours after the game ended.
Thunderstorms — possibly spawning an isolated tornado — are highly likely, said O’Hara’s colleague, Joe DeSilva. NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center was seeing a 40% chance that storms could reach “severe” criteria — that is, winds approaching 60 mph.
Although the trees aren’t yet weighed down with leaves, some scattered power outages were reported.
The sun and spring-like temperatures during the afternoon “may result in more instability,” the weather service advised, with warm air rising from the surface giving any storms an extra dose of energy.
What to expect
The front triggering the storm outbreak “has had some ferocious storms with it,” said Tom Kines, senior meteorologist with AccuWeather Inc., with winds gusting up to 90 mph in the Midwest. “I don’t think that happens in our neck of the woods,” he added, but “it does have a history.”
Trees are still in the early stages of leaf-out, and branches still are sparse enough to let the winds sail through, but “at least some thunderstorms may be strong enough to cause instances of wind damage, such as downed trees and power lines,” the weather service said.
Joe DeSilva, a weather service meteorologist in Mount Holly, said he noticed driving to work Monday morning that leaves were beginning to unfold, but “we might be fortunate that there isn’t enough growth yet” to enhance the power outage potential.
Monday night the weather service warned that downpours could wring out an inch of rain in an hour, with amounts of 1 to 2 inches possible.
The flooding threat
Stream and river levels remain low as drought advisories continue throughout the region, and none are expected to reach flood stage. But “flash flooding could lead to road closures, especially in poor drainage areas,” the National Weather Service said.
The highest probabilities for localized flooding would be from 8 p.m. to midnight, it said.
The Phillies vs. the weather
In 2023, rains pushed the game back to the open date that Major League Baseball wisely schedules for those first home series of the season.
Last year, the Phillies preemptively postponed the opener the day before the game, scheduled for April 7, because of a threat of showers. As it turned out, April 7 was a beautiful day for baseball.
In their discussion about whether to play Monday, “we definitely referenced that,” said Sal DeAngelis, the Phillies vice president of operations and security.
The timing of showers can be notoriously elusive, forecasters say, but ‘tis the season. But once the decision to play was made, said DeAngelis, the Rubicon was crossed.
While the remnants of winter and the advancing spring engage in their annual titanic battles over our heads, the atmosphere obviously has bigger concerns than baseball.
But on Monday, it evidently was rooting for the Phillies.