Miserable weather today, but sun on the way

Cold, wind-driven rain - up to an additional inch of it - will whip through the Philadelphia region today as gusts up to 45 m.p.h. threaten to destroy all but the sturdiest umbrellas.

A wind advisory is in effect until 4 p.m., said a meteorologist for the National Weather Service. A coastal flood warning and a wind advisory for the shore were issued today.

The wretched skies are causing some flights at Philadelphia International Airport to be delayed about 30 minutes, according to the FAA.

In N.J., flooding was reported in some communities at the shore and there were wind gusts up to 55 miles per hour in Seaside Heights.

In Cape May County, West Wildwood declared a state of emergency due to flooding, but did not insist that residents evacuate. The situation was the same in much of New Jersey's southernmost county, according to emergency management director Francis McCall.

"There's flooding on all the barrier islands," he said. "People have left on their own, but it wasn't mandatory."

The foul weather also prevented the resumption of a Coast Guard search for a female passenger who fell overboard from a cruise ship off Atlantic City Sunday night. The Norwegian Dawn was headed for Bermuda from New York City when the incident occurred approximately 45 miles northeast of Atlantic City.

The Coast Guard launched two helicopter crews Sunday night, which searched for two hours before returning to base due to the weather. A Coast Guard spokesman said the storm remained too severe to resume the search on Monday.

Atlantic City Electric reported that more than 48,000 customers were without power as of midday today, most of them in Atlantic, Cape May and Salem counties.

Public Service Electric & Gas reported an additional 7,700 outages New Jersey.

Temperatures across the region are expected to reach the mid-50s by afternoon but fall to the very cool mid-40s overnight, said Lee Robertson, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Mount Holly.

The low pressure system causing today's dour skies will continue to drift out to sea and by sundown the rain should diminish along with wind.

Spring returns Tuesday with mostly sunny skies, light breezes, and highs in the upper-60s, Robertson said.