Severe thunderstorm watch in effect for parts of Pa., N.J., Del.; storms could pack high winds, hail
We've issued a NEXT Weather Alert for the Philadelphia region Saturday evening due to the potential of severe storms packing damaging winds, hail and a low-end tornado risk.
The NEXT Weather Alert went into effect at 4 p.m. and lasts until midnight.
The National Weather Service issued a severe thunderstorm watch for several Delaware Valley counties until 11 p.m.
The following counties are included under the watch: New Castle in Delaware; Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cumberland, Gloucester, Ocean, Salem and Mercer in New Jersey; and Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, Philadelphia, Berks, Lehigh and Northampton in Pennsylvania.
Even though it is early May, Saturday felt like July with highs in the mid-80s.
By late afternoon, the atmosphere will become very unstable ahead of a cold front and an area of low pressure. There may be enough lift and speed shear in the atmosphere to support scattered storms, some of which could turn severe.
The greatest threat is northwest of the city. The Storm Prediction Center has placed the Lehigh Valley, Poconos, Chester County, along with upper Bucks and Montgomery counties, under a Level 2 or "slight" risk of severe weather. You can see that they are highlighted in yellow on the map above.
Areas closer to the Delaware River are under a Level 1 or "marginal" severe weather risk – this includes the city of Philadelphia, Delaware County, lower Bucks and Montgomery counties, and Salem, Cumberland, Gloucester, Camden and northwest Burlington counties in New Jersey.
NOT EVERYONE WILL SEE A STORM. The greatest chance of storms is from the I-95 corridor north and west across all southeastern Pennsylvania, including Philly.
There is also a low-end tornado risk northwest of the city. You can see this map includes areas like Chester County, Berks County, the Lehigh Valley and upper Bucks and Montgomery counties. While the risk is about 2%, stay tuned as these storms develop in case any further alerts are issued.
Possible impacts are isolated downed trees and power lines, travel delays at PHL and delays or a rainout for the Phillies game. Things were clear for the first pitch at Citizens Bank Park, but precipitation could move in the middle to late innings.
Rain likely misses start of Broad Street Run
Running in the Broad Street Run? The weather looks a little better than it did a few days ago. The severe threat will have ended, but there will still be a chance of rain.
A sprinkle is possible in the morning, but a better chance of showers arrives later in the morning and afternoon.
It will be a mild run with temperatures in the low to mid-60s under cloudy skies with a south wind 10-15 mph and isolated gusts to 20 mph. (May the Fourth be with you, Star Wars fans.)
Afternoon highs will be in the low 70s.
The week ahead will remain unsettled with a chance of showers and storms on Monday and Tuesday, and again on Thursday and Friday.
By the end of next week, we may have several inches of rain added to the bucket, further helping our drought and keeping things green as spring rolls on.
Here's your 7-day forecast:
Saturday: Warm, storms late. High of 85, low of 65.
Sunday: Clouds, PM showers. High of 73, low of 64.
Monday: Clouds, showers. High 70, low 61.
Tuesday: Showers. High 74, low 61.
Wednesday: Partly sunny. High 77, low 56.
Thursday: Some sun, shower. High of 75, low of 59.
Friday: Sun & clouds. High of 65, low of 53.
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