Flood advisories in effect for much of the Philly region Thursday night
Up to 2.5 inches could fall by the time the rain ends, and much of the region was under a flood advisory.
On a day that much of the Philly region remained in a state of “moderate drought,” at least according to the government’s weekly update, flood advisories were in effect until 11 p.m. Thursday for areas near and west of the Delaware River, including Philadelphia.
The East Branch of the Brandywine near Downingtown was forecast to reach moderate flood stage, and the Perkiomen Creek near in far northern Montgomery County had risen to minor flood levels.
The entire region was under a flash flood watch under 2 a.m. Friday as showers, and thunderstorms, contiued well well into the night.
Strong thunderstorms rippled through the region in the early evening, and flood advisories were posted for the entire region until 10 p.m., prompted by radar indications and spotter reports, said Amanda Lee, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service Office in Mount Holly. No stream flooding had been reported yet, she added.
By late Thursday night over 1.5 inches had been measured at Philadelphia International Airport.
» READ MORE: It had been quite dry around here before Wednesday
More downpours with “embedded thunderstorms” are possible well into Thursday night, the National Weather Service said, and the flood watch continues until 2 a.m. Atop the 0.94 inches that landed at the airport on Wednesday, an additional 2.5 inches is possible.
That 2.5 inches would about match the entire total from March 1 through Tuesday, and that explains how the region ended up among the U.S. Drought Monitor’s dry zones. Most of eastern Pennsylvania and all of New Jersey were in the “abnormally dry” category, with an area slicing through most of Chester County to the Jersey Shore under the “moderate drought” designation.
The Drought Monitor, a partnership among four government agencies and the University of Nebraska, cited “stream flow measurements and soil moisture conditions have fallen below normal” in drawing its maps.
Another likely factor in the dryness designation for the Philadelphia region is the fact that while the maps are posted on Thursdays, the analysis is completed on Tuesdays.
» READ MORE: The weather has been quite jumpy around here lately
This round of rains should shut off either late Thursday or shortly after midnight, the weather service says, and it appears that the Phillies are in no danger of an opening-day washout when they host the Oakland A’s on Friday afternoon.
Game-time temperatures will be around 60, and the sun will be sharing at least some of the skies with the clouds. Showers are possible Friday night, but not until 8 p.m. and wouldn’t be a factor unless the game is really, really long.
Then it appears the region is in for a dry run into early next week, when temperatures are due to head back into the mid-70s.