A tornado watch is in effect for the entire Philly region until 11:59 p.m. Friday as part of what could be quite an active night of weather.
With the atmosphere charged with energy, an unusually vigorous storm for late May was expected to affect the region, the National Weather Service said. Heavy rains were expected after 8 p.m., said Alex Staarmann, meteorologist at the Mount Holly office.
A coastal flood advisory also was in effect for the tidal Delaware River, with minor flooding expected around Philly, the result of onshore winds causing water to back up, said Staarmann. Plus runoff would add to the water levels.
Meanwhile, the drought advisories that have persisted like a nagging cold might not survive the weekend.
The National Weather Service also has posted a region-wide flood watch — a certifiable rarity in the last year — in effect from 7 p.m. Friday through 8 a.m. Saturday. Up to 3 inches of rain is possible
The bulk of the rain was likely to fall Friday night, said John Feerick, senior meteorologist with AccuWeather Inc.
The weather service also said that as the rainy system exits, winds from the west could gust up to 40 mph Saturday morning.
How serious is the flood potential in the region?
As is usually the case, the flooding potential will be more about the rates of rainfall, rather than the cumulative amounts.
For the month, the region has had close to 5.3 inches of rain — the normal amount is just over 3 inches. It is likely that by Saturday morning this will have become the wettest month since March 2024.
However, the rains have been for the most part well-spaced rather than coming in the deluge variety.
Rain has been observed on 20 days officially in Philadelphia, the weather service says, and the recent chill, wetness, and dreariness may be having impacts on the New Jersey strawberry crop.
In a Facebook post, the popular Stella Farms, in Berlin, announced that due to the weather, their strawberry season had come to a premature conclusion.
The weather service is predicting that minor flooding along the Delaware could occur Saturday afternoon at the Burlington and 30th Street gauges.
But the Delaware at Trenton isn’t expected to rise to more than about 11 feet; flood stage is 20 feet. The flashy Brandywine Creek at Chadds Ford is forecast to remain well below flood stage.
With all this rain, why are drought advisories still in effect?
The recovery from the record dry autumn has been a slog.
Rainfall over the last year lags the long-term normal by 20% to 25%, according to the weather service’s Middle Atlantic River Forecast Center, in State College.
Generally throughout New Jersey, the Department of Environmental Protection advised Wednesday that stream flows remain “below average.” A statewide drought warning remains in effect, and residents still are being asked to conserve water.
On the Pennsylvania side, the Philadelphia area remains under a “drought watch.”
On the updated interagency U.S. Drought Monitor map, much of Philly’s neighboring Pennsylvania counties remain at least “abnormally dry,” with half of Chester County and a piece of Montgomery County in “moderate drought.”
The drought advisories notwithstanding, “It feels like it’s over,” said Feerick.
Staff writer John Duchneskie contributed to this article.
