Water Rescue, Power Outages, School Delays: See PA Storm Aftermath

PENNSYLVANIA - Tuesday’s storm that prompted delayed school openings and road closures across the state resulted in at least one water rescue and left tens of thousands of residents without power Wednesday morning.

The powerful storm dropped over four inches of rain in some parts of the state, with downed trees and flooding prompting road closures. Several school districts also announced delayed openings Wednesday (see list below).

Multiple rivers, especially in North Jersey and southeast Pennsylvania, are experiencing “moderate to major flooding” and will remain flooded though the week, the National Weather Service said in a statement.

A flood warning remains in effect for Lehigh, Northampton, Delaware, Carbon, Montgomery, Bucks and Chester counties.

But Mother Nature isn’t done just yet, forecasters say. Another storm is expected Friday, bringing up to 2 inches of new rain and wind gusts up to 60 mph, according to the agency. The added precipitation is slated to “exacerbate flooding” through Sunday.

Rainfall Totals

Montgomery and Delaware counties saw some of the highest rainfall totals Tuesday, with over 4 inches of rain reported in Conshohocken and Media.

Philadelphia trailed behind with just over 2 inches of rain.

You can view rainfall totals for your town here.

The Delaware River even reached a new record crest height early Wednesday thanks to the deluge. According to the National Weather Service, the river crested at 10.66 feet at about 12:30 a.m. Wednesday.

That figure broke the previous crest record for the Delaware River that was set in 2012.

The Schuylkill River reached 12.13 feet at about 7:30 a.m. and has been receding since, according to the National Weather Service.

Road Closures & Travel

Road closures were reported overnight in Lower Makefield, Horsham, East Bradford, West Goshen, Chadds Ford and more.

Chestnut Lane in Horsham between Ivy Lane and County Line Road is closed due to down wires, Horsham ChATs said in a Facebook post Wednesday.

The Horsham Fire Company assisted the Willow Grove Fire Company on one water rescue call at York and Warminster Roads overnight. There were no water rescue calls in Horsham.

Horsham ChATs said they did receive reports of motorists driving around our barricades.

"That is disturbing," Horsham ChATs said. "The township closes roads only when they become unsafe to traverse."

Power Outages

As of 10 a.m., 27,951 First Energy (PennPower, Penelec, WestPenn Power. and Met-Ed) customers in Pennsylvania remain without power. Most of the outages were reported in Westmoreland, Erie and Berks counties.

Schools

The following school districts have announced delayed openings Wednesday:

• Abington Township School District
• Bensalem Township School District
• Bristol Borough School District
• Centennial School District
• Pennsbury School District
• Neshaminy School District

The following school districts are closed Wednesday:

• Phoenixville Area School District
• West Chester Area School District
• Tredyffrin/Easttown School District
• Great Valley School District

This is a developing story. Patch will have more information as it comes in.

Here’s the latest forecast, according to the National Weather Service:

Wednesday: Cloudy, with a high near 45. Breezy, with a west wind 16 to 21 mph, with gusts as high as 47 mph.

Wednesday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 31. West wind 7 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.

Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 45. Southwest wind 6 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.

Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 29. West wind 3 to 8 mph.

Friday: Rain likely after 1 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 44. Light and variable wind becoming southeast 10 to 15 mph in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 23 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.

Friday Night: Rain. Low around 40. Breezy. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New precipitation amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.