Flash Flood Warning In PA Amid Summer Storms

PENNSYLVANIA — Eastern Pennsylvania, including Philadelphia, was under an enhanced risk Sunday for severe thunderstorms, which brought a flash flood warning to the area as the weekend neared its end.

The National Weather Service issued a severe thunderstorm watch around 11 a.m. through 7 p.m. for the eastern portion of the state, warning of frequent lightning, likely wind gusts up to 75 mph and isolated hail as large as ping pong balls. The watch also affected Connecticut, Rhode Island and parts of New York, New Jersey, Delaware and Massachusetts.

"A broken line of severe thunderstorms are now beginning to approach the Philadelphia Metro area," the service said in a social media post around 4:30 p.m. "Stay weather aware and alert through the remainder of the afternoon into the early evening!"

There was a flash flood warning in place for Philadelphia until 9 p.m. People were advised to move to high ground and avoid walking or driving through floodwaters.

The severe threat was over for locations north of Philadelphia as of about 7:30 p.m., according to the service.

There were several severe thunderstorm warnings issued for Pennsylvania throughout the day, including:

• Chester until 6:30 p.m.
• Bethlehem, Quakertown and Perkasie until 5:30 p.m.
• Philadelphia and Levittown until 5:15 p.m.
• Norristown, Drexel Hill and Pottstown until 4:30 p.m.
• Lansdale, Montgomeryville and Harleysville until 4:30 p.m.
• Easton until 4:15 p.m.
• Reading, Pottstown and Wyomissing until 4 p.m.
• Northampton, Nazareth and Lehighton until 3:30 p.m.
• East Stroudsburg until 3 p.m.
• Mount Pocono, Pocono Pines and Mountainhome until 2 p.m.

The storms were expected to develop during the afternoon and progress west to east through the evening, mainly from 4-10 p.m, in a line near or northwest of Interstate 95 and then east and southeast, according to the service. Stronger storms were predicted to include frequent cloud to ground lightning.

Along the northern and middle Atlantic seaboard more broadly there was isolated potential for a tornado, according to the service. Isolated flash flooding was also projected to possibly occur between New England and the Southeast.

Delaware, Philadelphia, eastern Chester, eastern Montgomery and lower Bucks counties were also under a heat advisory from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday with index values of up to 103 degrees expected.