The National Weather Service issued a flash flood watch for the Philadelphia region, stretching into New Jersey and Delaware, ahead of storms expected to hit Thursday evening. The watch runs from Thursday afternoon through late Thursday night and covers Philadelphia, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and upper and lower Bucks counties in Pennsylvania, along with numerous New Jersey counties and New Castle County, Delaware.
Clouds will move in Thursday morning as a warm front arrives from the west, bringing some hit or miss rain before the main event. A cold front pushing in from the north and west is expected to drive storms into the area between roughly 5 p.m. and 11 p.m., FOX 29 meteorologist Scott Williams said. Not everywhere will see a storm, but areas that do could get flooding downpours capable of washing out roadways.
NWS forecasters predict rainfall rates of 1 to 2 inches per hour, with as much as 5 inches per hour possible in some places. “We continue to expect scattered thunderstorms to produce areas of heavy rainfall, potentially leading to flash flooding,” the weather service said. Residents should monitor updated forecasts and be ready to act if flash flood warnings are issued…