The Philly region is under a flood watch, and storms may disrupt World Cup games
Drought conditions are likely to survive the rains.
The region evidently is about to get some drought relief — maybe too much relief.
The National Weather Service has posted a flash flood watch for the I-95 corridor from Wilmington to New York City, in effect until 8 a.m. Tuesday.
On Monday afternoon a strong storm passed through parts of Philadelphia and Burlington County, snapping trees and taking down “multiple branches” in the Holmesburg section of the city, the National Weather Service said.
The federal Storm Prediction Center, in Noman, Okla., has issued a severe thunderstorm watch for the entire region, in effect until 9 p.m.
In its late-day update the weather service said the likeliest period for the strong storms would be between 5 p.m. and 9 p.m.
Unfortunately, that timing would coincide with the World Cup soccer match in South Philly between France and Iraq, which is scheduled to start at 5 p.m. The Fan Fest activities at Fairmount Park’s Lemon Hill were suspended during the afternoon and people were asked to leave and find shelter.
The World Cup match in New York City, due to start at 8 p.m. may encounter similar problems as the entire region from Mississippi to New York was under threat of severe weather, according to the storm center.
And the Phillies may be in for rain delays when they play the Nationals in Washington Monday evening.
In the Philly region, along with the potential for wind gusts approaching 60 mph, the area has an outside shot at experiencing an isolated tornado.
Will the rains end the Philly region’s drought conditions?
No. Life is not fair, and neither is summer rain, which by its nature is capricious.
Some areas are likely to get hammered with up to 2 inches in downpours, forecasters said, but in general the totals are expected to average one-half to an inch throughout the region into Tuesday.
Through Sunday, officially June rainfall at Philadelphia International Airport was 1.25 inches below normal, and this after 10 consecutive months of below-normal precipitation.
Most of the region is in “moderate drought” according to the inter-agency U.S. Drought Monitor, and Cape May County, most of Delaware, and New Jersey areas along the Delaware Bay are in “extreme drought.”
State-declared drought emergencies are in effect for New Jersey and Chester County.
The weather service said that it’s possible that some areas could receive 1 to 2 inches of rain in an hour.
But downpours aren’t known for their attention spans, and rains can run off rapidly.
“If the rain doesn’t penetrate the soil, it doesn’t help,” said Patrick O’Hara, meteorologist at the weather service in Mount Holly. “Ideally, it would soak into the ground over a couple-day period. That would really help.”
It is possible that showers could linger into Tuesday, he said, as the system wringing out the rain would be slow-moving.
