Strong winds, heavy rain thrash region

Thunderstorms pounded the region Wednesday night, unleashing torrential rain, significant flooding, and damaging winds.

The Philadelphia area was under a flash-flood warning until 2 a.m.

From 1 to 1.5 inches of rain fell at the peak of the storms, according to the National Weather Service in Mount Holly.

There also were numerous reports of motorists needing to be rescued from vehicles stuck in high water. Philadelphia police said water in some spots was several feet deep.

A tornado watch expired at 11 p.m., and severe damage was reported in Lancaster County, where there were scattered reports of trees knocked down, some into buildings or on top of cars.

Around 10:30 p.m., Peco said more than 27,000 customers were without power, mainly in Bucks, Montgomery, and Delaware Counties.

The government's Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Okla., said the chances for actual tornado sightings were only about 5 percent in the immediate Philadelphia region.

But the likelihood of storms strong enough to be classified as "severe" jumps to 30 percent. The weather service said it was looking for a squall line to develop, and "winds approaching or exceeding severe levels" - that's at least 57 mph - "will occur at least locally."

Tornadoes occur infrequently in this area, and are unusual anywhere in the country in February. Of the 1,000 or so that have occurred annually in the last three years, only 28 were sighted in February.

Tornadoes are more far more numerous in April and May. But already, 58 have been reported this month.