What to Know
- After a tornado touched down in Delaware on Thursday night, more twisters threatened the entire Philadelphia region on Friday, Aug. 9, 2024. The threat is now over, according to National Weather Service
- The remnants of Tropical Depression Debby brought tornado and flash flooding risks through the end of Friday. A tornado watch is in no longer in effect for our region.
- "It sounded like a freight train that was driving through the woods," a Delaware resident said of Thursday's storm.
As the remnants of Tropical Storm Debby moved through the region Friday, the threat for another tornado no longer lingers after one touched down in northern Delaware on Thursday night.
Here's what you need to know:
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Debby's leftovers brought tornado threat to Pa., NJ, Del.
On Friday, the remnants of Tropical Storm Debby moved through the Northeast, bringing heavy rainfall and the chances for a severe storm threat.
The tornado watch has been canceled for our entire region, but gusty winds and heavy showers are still possible, according to the National Weather Service.
Strong winds, heavy rainfall
While Debby's heaviest rains fell mostly to the west of our area in central Pennsylvania, we possibly saw 2 to 4 inches, maybe more, in some of our neighborhoods.
Areas that expected to see the highest rainfall totals were west and northwest of Philadelphia in Chester and Berks counties, along with the Lehigh Valley.
The heavy rainfall will pose a flood threat to the Philadelphia region due to localized tropical downpours. Area creeks, rivers and streams could still rise due to the rainfall which would lead to additional flooding later Friday night into Saturday.
The good news is that as we go into Friday night and the weekend, with Debby pulling away to the Northeast, a cold front will swing through and clear things out rapidly.
Debby ruins Pa. family's vacation
The wicked weather from Tropical Storm Debby has proven to be hard to escape for one Montgomery County family who was on vacation at the beaches in North Carolina.
The family told NBC10 that the weather while driving to their destination at the beginning of the week wasn't picture-perfect, but they made the best of it.
Once they made it to the beach, they explored and got two rainy days in on the sand until the storms showed up.
New Castle County, Delaware, EF1 tornado sounds like a 'freight train'
A tornado warning was issued for New Castle County, Delaware until 7:30 p.m. Thursday. That has since expired.
The National Weather Service later said that there was a confirmed tornado over Marshallton around 7:12 p.m. Thursday, and it was moving at 15 mph. The tornado touched down near the intersection of Route 7 and Kirkwood Highway -- that's several miles west of Wilmington.
"There were trees all falling down in my backyard," one resident said. "It literally blew the windows open in my house.. it was crazy, all the pressure in the house. It sounded like a freight train that was driving through the woods."
New Castle County Police took to Facebook to say they were responding to calls for help in Delcastle, Sherwood Park, Kingsmill, Hunters Run and MIlltown Road.
The National Weather Service in Mt. Holly on Friday determined the twister was an EF1 storm packing 95 mph winds that traveled 1.13 miles in Stanton.
One block would have visible damage, while a block away there were next to no signs of the storm.
Luckily, no injuries were reported.
What to do if you're in a tornado warning
Should a tornado watch become a warning -- meaning the conditions are in place for a tornado to form -- you should take precautions.
If you are home during a tornado warning, head to lower ground like a basement or a small inside room in the center of your house. Stay away from windows, outside walls and doors.
If you are driving, you will want to pull over and find shelter. Watch out for flying debris, downed wires and trees and flooding.
Flooding across our area
The storm that swept through the area Tuesday night did a number on several communities across our area.
Several people had to be rescued from their homes in Burlington County where flooding caused streets to look more like rivers.
A total of 77 rescues were performed by first responders involving cars trapped in the flood. No injuries have been reported.
Dry relief for the weekend
Once the rain and storms push out, expect much nicer weather starting on Saturday and continuing through next week, with plenty of sunshine, low humidity and highs in the 80s.
Whatever Mother Nature brings, be sure to have our NBC10 app downloaded to your device so you can get the latest forecasts, track live radar and receive any alerts -- even if you lose power.
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