Philadelphia

First Alert: Deadly Flood, Possible Tornado, Heavy Rain Slam Region

A pregnant woman and her 8-year-old son were both found dead after their vehicle was swept away by floodwaters in Douglass Township, Berks County

What to Know

  • A deadly flood, possible tornado and heavy rain slammed the region as severe storms moved through the area Thursday night.
  • A pregnant woman and her 8-year-old son were both found dead after their vehicle was swept away by floodwaters in Berks County.
  • Widespread flooding led to stranded vehicles, closed roads and water rescues throughout the area.

A deadly flood, possible tornado and heavy rain slammed the region as severe storms roared through the area Thursday night.

A pregnant woman and her 9-year-old son were both found dead after their vehicle was swept away by floodwaters in Douglass Township, Berks County.

Along with Berks, widespread flooding led to stranded vehicles, closed roads and water rescues in Philadelphia, Montgomery, Chester and Bucks counties.

Storms with heavy rain, flooding and a possible tornado slammed the region on Thursday. NBC10 obtained viewer video of flooding at the SugarHouse Casino in Philadelphia.

Several flash flood warnings and a flash flood emergency were in effect throughout the day and night for most of the area.

Flash flood emergencies differ from flash flood warnings. A flash flood emergency is issued to highlight rare occasions in which there is a major threat to life or potential to cause catastrophic damage. The last time a flash flood emergency was issued for our area was in Mercer County, New Jersey, on July 30, 2016.

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A Tornado Warning was also in effect for Burlington County, New Jersey.

While a tornado has not yet been confirmed, strong winds brought trees down in Mount Laurel while the warning was in effect.

A First Alert remained in effect for most of our area until midnight.

Some areas got scattered storms during the morning and early afternoon. But, during the day, most of the region just saw a combination of sun, clouds and high humidity that made temperatures in the 80s feel like they were in the 90s.

The main line of storms roared into the western suburbs around dinner time and moved through South Jersey.

Before the storm even arrived, it was causing weather-related delays in the air.

"Customers traveling today are encouraged to check with their airlines for flight updates and potential delays before heading to the airport," Philadelphia Airport tweeted.

The first severe thunderstorm warning of the day was declared around 1:45 p.m. for western parts of South Jersey, parts of Philadelphia, Delaware and Montgomery counties and eastern New Castle County, Delaware. It expired at 2:45 p.m.

With the storms moved out, sunny, hot weather settles in for the weekend. Highs could hit 90 each day.

To stay ahead of the weather be sure to download our free NBC10 App where you can check temperatures, humidity, heat indexes and track thunderstorms.

Your Photos: Flash Flooding Slams Philadelphia Area

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