The National Weather Service office in Mount Holly, New Jersey, issued a severe thunderstorm warning Wednesday afternoon covering three counties across two states: New Castle County in northern Delaware, Chester County in southeastern Pennsylvania and Delaware County in southeastern Pennsylvania.
The warning went into effect at 4:50 p.m. and was scheduled to expire at 5:30 p.m. Eastern time. At the time of issuance, meteorologists had tracked a severe thunderstorm near Cochranville, approximately 13 miles northwest of Newark, Delaware, moving east at 15 mph.
What forecasters are warning residents to expect
Forecasters identified two primary hazards driving the warning. Wind gusts of up to 60 mph were the leading concern, with radar data confirming the threat. In addition, hail up to 0.75 inches in diameter was possible as the storm moved through the affected area.
The combination of those conditions put a wide range of communities on alert. Among the locations identified by the NWS as directly in the storm’s path were Wilmington, Newark, West Chester, Westtown, Elsmere, Kennett Square, Oxford, Parkesburg, West Grove, Newport, Cochranville, Stanton, Talleyville and Marshallton, among others…