Potentially severe thunderstorms expected in Philly area tonight

Potentially severe thunderstorms that were expected to impact the Philadelphia region Thursday afternoon and evening never materialized, as the storm moved off the coast, but a potential remained for damaging storms to develop overnight.

Late Thursday night, forecasters issued a tornado warning for western Chester County, and a thunderstorm warning was issued for a wider area that included most of Chester County and parts of Philadelphia.

Earlier, the National Weather Service had warned that the storms could bring damaging winds above 60 mph, hail and potentially an isolated tornado. Also, a severe thunderstorm for several counties in the region was in place from 1 to 8 p.m.

Philadelphia International Airport said the weather had caused delays to and from some airports and advised passengers and those picking up travelers to check with their airlines on flight status.

The front is blamed for spawning tornadoes in the Midwest overnight, including one that claimed at least three lives in Jefferson City, Mo.

The storms cleared the way for sunny skies with a high around 80 Friday.

The weather outlook for the Memorial Day weekend looks favorable. With the exception of a chance of thunderstorms late Saturday night, skies should mostly sunny with highs of around 79 degrees on Saturday, 89 on Sunday, and 84 Monday. Temperatures will be a few degrees cooler at the Shore.

Meanwhile, the weather service on Thursday confirmed that a tornado touched down last Sunday at a Bucks County campground.

Staff writer Tricia L. Nadolny contributed to this report.