Weather
Tropical Storm Ian Will Be No Ida, Forecasters Say
The remnants of Ian are expected to hit Radnor Township just like a typical fall rain with no major flooding, Accu-Weather reported.
RADNOR, PA —While Hurricane Ian has everyone on edge watching the damage in Florida, the local picture is nothing to get alarmed about, forecasters say.
Forecasters are predicting a typical fall rain will begin on Friday night and continue into Saturday afternoon, accumulating 1 to 2 inches of rain for the region.
It will be nothing like last summer’s deluge from Tropical Storms Fred and Ida.
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“It won’t be anything like last year,” Paul Walker, senior meteorologist at Accu-Weather, based in State College, said. “There won’t be major flooding. The worst problems might be in North Jersey.”
Walker noted that the flooding issues in basements will likely be similar to a typical thunderstorm.
Find out what's happening in Tredyffrin-Easttownfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Last year, Tropical Storms Fred and Ida crippled the region, causing flooding everywhere.
After the storm, over 530 residents from Chester and Montgomery counties were left homeless and living in hotels.
The extreme weather conditions on Aug. 18 and 19, 2021 and Sept. 1, 2021 from Tropical Storms Fred and Ida caused major property damage.
A wall collapsed along Trout Creek, and the creek flooded the Gateway Shopping Center, covering the parking lot in mud.
Fred dumped 4 inches in 1.5 hours and 3.56 in one hour. Ida dumped more than 8 inches of rain in the region.
Stores quickly sold out of dry vacuums that were being used by homeowners to soak up water in flooded basements.
In weeks following the deluges, Tredyffrin Township held several public hearings regarding storm water damage, resulting in the township supervisors voting in favor of a stormwater fee being set for residents to help pay for necessary upgrades.
Easttown and Radnor townships also suffered severe flooding. The bridge connecting Mont Clare to Phoenixville had to close.
Walker said the massive flooding in suburban areas is primarily due to development.
He said the problems occur in large areas that are paved for housing developments and parking lots without having ground for the water to soak into. Other problems include aging infrastructure.
Overall, Walker said, it doesn’t look too bad in eastern Pennsylvania for this storm.
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