What to Know
- A Tornado Watch has been canceled for our area after severe storms moved across the Philadelphia region Monday – bringing wind damage, power outages and the potential for a tornado.
- Two Tornado Warnings were issued for Kent County, Delaware, between 3:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. Both warnings were canceled.
- The strong winds had already torn up the Wildwood boardwalk, downed a New Jersey gas station canopy and sent a crane spinning in Center City Philadelphia.
A Tornado Watch has been canceled for our area after severe storms moved across the Philadelphia region Monday – bringing wind damage, power outages and the potential for a tornado.
Two Tornado Warnings were issued for Kent County, Delaware, between 3:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. Both warnings were canceled.
The National Weather Service also issued a tornado watch for southeastern Pennsylvania, South Jersey and Delaware, just before noon. The NBC10 First Alert Weather Team had already issued a First Alert for the entire area.
The tornado watch and a High Wind Warning expired around 5 p.m.
The rain started Sunday night and by Monday morning the downpours were heavy at times. The heavier rain bands produced wind nearing 80 mph Monday morning with 79 mph gusts recorded in Indian Beach, Delaware, and 72 mph gusts in Cape May Harbor, New Jersey, NBC10 First Alert Weather meteorologist Steve Sosna said.
The strong winds tore up parts of the iconic Wildwood Boardwalk near Rio Grande Avenue and the Wildwood Convention Center. Downed wires also caused trouble in the Jersey Shore resort, police said. In nearby Lower Township, police urged residents to stay off roads due to debris and downed wires.
Damage hit throughout South Jersey. Part of the roof was ripped off historic Congress Hall in Cape May. In Egg Harbor Township in Atlantic County, the canopy of a Sunoco gas station off Black Horse Pike (U.S. Route 322) was blown to the ground.
PHOTOS: Strong Winds Leave Damage in New Jersey
And, near 20th and Walnut in Center City Philadelphia, a crane could be seen spinning around in the wind. The crane above The Laurel project was spinning as intended as part of weather vaning and was inspected earlier Monday, an Allan Domb Real Estate spokesperson said.
There were also reports of downed trees and branches in neighborhoods around the region.
The winds caused power outages and damage to houses and other structures. By midday, thousands of AC Electric, PECO, PPL Electric and Delmarva Power customers were in the dark throughout the region. By 10:25 p.m., AC Electric reported more than 7,900 power outages with more than 4,700 of those being in Cape May County, New Jersey.
Remember to have your devices charged and flashlights at the ready. You can also download the NBC10 app for live radar and storm tracks.
Flooding was also a concern with 1 to 3 inches of rain in many neighborhoods. By Monday morning, driving rain had already caused road flooding.
A flash flood warning was in effect for parts of Berks, Lehigh and Northampton counties until 5 p.m. Parts of Chester County are under a flash flood warning until 5:45 p.m.
Conditions clear out with highs in the 50s Tuesday. The rest of the week looks much cooler. On Wednesday, highs reach only the middle 40s in a chilly rain and some snowflakes possible.
