Severe Storms, Flash Flooding Strike Philadelphia Area Monday Evening
Flash flooding and severe thunderstorms with 60 mph winds battered the Philadelphia metro area Monday evening, forcing multiple weather warnings across the region.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA — A series of severe thunderstorms swept across the Philadelphia metropolitan area Monday evening, prompting multiple weather warnings and a flash flood alert that remained in effect until 9:45 PM EDT.
The National Weather Service in Mount Holly issued the flash flood warning at 5:40 PM EDT for Philadelphia County and surrounding areas, warning that thunderstorms were producing heavy rainfall across the region. Doppler radar indicated up to 0.5 inches of rain had already fallen by that time, with rainfall rates of 1 to 2 inches per hour expected.
“Additional rainfall amounts of 0.5 to 1.5 inches are possible in the warned area. Flash flooding is ongoing or expected to begin shortly,” according to the National Weather Service warning.
Multiple Storm Cells Target Region
The severe weather began around 4:52 PM EDT with a thunderstorm near Pottstown that moved eastward at 25 mph. Throughout the evening, meteorologists tracked multiple storm cells as they progressed across southeastern Pennsylvania and southern New Jersey.
At 6:09 PM EDT, radar indicated a severe thunderstorm over Magnolia, near Gloucester City, moving east at 30 mph with 60 mph wind gusts. The storm impacted numerous communities including Philadelphia, Camden, Gloucester City, Cherry Hill, Evesham, Mount Laurel, Deptford, Voorhees, Medford, West Deptford, Glassboro, Lindenwold, Hammonton, Lumberton, Bellmawr, Yeadon, Woodbury, Mount Holly, Pitman, and Berlin.
Earlier in the evening, at 6:00 PM EDT, another severe thunderstorm was located over the Ben Franklin Bridge area and Camden, also moving east at 30 mph with similar wind speeds.
Heat Advisory Compounds Weather Concerns
The severe weather arrived as the region was under a heat advisory that remained in effect until 8:00 PM EDT Monday. Heat index values reached up to 98 degrees in Philadelphia County and surrounding areas including Delaware, Eastern Chester, Eastern Montgomery, Lower Bucks counties in Pennsylvania, and Mercer, Camden, Gloucester, and Northwestern Burlington counties in New Jersey.
The National Weather Service noted that the arriving thunderstorms would help end the early season heat. The combination of high temperatures and humidity throughout the day created conditions that meteorologists warned could cause heat-related illnesses.
Multiple counties across the region were under severe thunderstorm warnings throughout the evening hours, with all warnings citing 60 mph wind gusts as the primary threat. The storms brought potential for damage to roofs, siding, trees, and power lines across the affected areas.
The flash flood warning covered the most densely populated areas of the region, including Philadelphia County, Delaware County, southeastern Montgomery County, southeastern Bucks County, and portions of Burlington, Camden, and Gloucester counties in New Jersey.
