Bitter Cold, Heavy Winds Strike Region

Wind Advisory in effect Thursday morning

The big plunge took full effect overnight as Arctic air moved into our region, bringing temperatures that were in the 60s during the day Wednesday into the low 20s and teens this morning.

Heavy winds with gusts near 50 mph made it feel even colder, with wind chills in the single digits.

The National Weather Service issued a Wind Advisory in effect for the entire Philadelphia region through 11 a.m. on Thursday.

Rain and thunderstorms was the issue at first when a quick-moving weather system moved into the western suburbs around 6 p.m. on Wednesday. Heavy rain started to fall in Philly shortly after 7 p.m. but turned to light rain after 8 p.m. The storm moved out of the region after 9 p.m. 

Once the rain was gone, however, strong winds and bitter cold took its place. NBC10 First Alert Weather Chief Meteorologist Glenn "Hurricane" Schwartz says gusts should continue until Thursday morning.

“There may be tree limbs that were left weakened by the brutal winter that could come down,” Hurricane said when asked about what potential issues people could see during this weather event. The possibility of falling tree limbs could result in power outages, he said.

Thousands of homes lost power overnight. A downed tree also blocked Baltimore Pike near Lansdowne Avenue in Lansdowne, Pa. blocking the road and causing SEPTA's 109 bus to detour around the scene.

The combination of wet roads from the rain and bitter cold temperatures could also lead to overnight freezing and icy spots. By the early morning hours, temperatures dropped into the low 20s throughout most of the region.

Throughout the day, temperatures will struggle to get higher than 30 degrees.

We'll see a warm-up soon after. It will be 50 degrees on Friday and 60 degrees on Saturday. Monday and Wednesday however, we could see more snow in our area. Stay with NBC10.com for updates.

Count on the NBC10 First Alert Weather Team, NBC10.com and our mobile apps to keep you up-to-date with the latest information on this severe weather.

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