Wind Gusts Up To 56 MPH Batter Philly Area: When Will It End?

Severe wind gusts hammered the Delaware Valley on Monday and will continue to batter the region for at least the next day, the National Weather Service said.

Gusts up to 45 miles per hour are expected throughout the day again Tuesday and are not expected to diminish until later in the afternoon. Gusts up to 20 miles an hour are expected to continue through Thursday, New Year's Day, before finally petering out on Thursday night, forecasters said.

The wind was strong enough to cause significant power outages in some communities Monday, with the highest recorded gusts of 56 miles per hour in Doylestown and 54 miles per hour in Kimberton, the National Weather Service said. Dozens more communities around the region recorded max gusts over 40 miles per hour (see full list of towns and maximum wind gusts Monday here).

Many power lines were brought down or damaged, and trees were knocked down and blocked roadways. The gusts also made travel difficult for high profile vehicles like tractor trailers. PECO is currently reporting 1,576 customers without power.

An Arctic blast brought in by Monday's bomb cyclone will bring temperatures down to the low 20s on Tuesday night. Combined with the wind, that could make for lethal conditions in the region, with wind chills plummeting into the single digits or below.

"Temperatures may be 10-30 degrees lower than the actual temperature when the wind is blowing and the sun is not out," Accuweather said.

A few snow showers are also possible overnight, though no significant accumulation is expected in the greater Philadelphia area.

A few more scattered snow showers are possible late on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, though chances of precipitation are low and forecasters do not believe they will be major storms.

Here's the full forecast for the coming week, according to the National Weather Service:

Tuesday
Mostly sunny, with a high near 34. Breezy, with a west wind 15 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 45 mph.

Tuesday Night
A slight chance of snow showers after 4 a.m. Increasing clouds, with a low around 24. West wind 10 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20 percent.

Wednesday
Partly sunny, with a high near 35. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.

Wednesday Night
A slight chance of snow showers after 1 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 26. Southwest wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20 percent.

New Year's Day
A slight chance of snow showers before 1 p.m. Mostly sunny, with a high near 31. West wind around 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20 percent.

Thursday Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 19.

Friday
Partly sunny, with a high near 35.

Friday Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 25.

Saturday
Partly sunny, with a high near 36.

Saturday Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 22.

Sunday
Sunny, with a high near 36.

Sunday Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 25.

Monday
Mostly cloudy, with a high near 38.