This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Community Corner

Strong Winds From Tropical Storm Irene To Continue

Winds of 30 mph with gusts up to 50 mph will continue to be felt throughout our area even as the storm system moves northward.

UPDATED 12:30 p.m.

Hurricane Irene is no longer classified as a hurricane. She is now known as Tropical Storm Irene and will continue to push up over the Hudson Valley, but her effects will continue to be felt throughout our region as we experience 30 mph winds with gusts to near 50 mph later Sunday afternoon. If you are walking around outside, use caution as the high winds can still knock down large tree limbs and power lines.

Our area should not receive much more rainfall throughout the remainder of the day as the system continues to move northward. There may be the occasional light shower but that should wrap up quickly over the next hour.

Find out what's happening in Radnorwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The main concern over the next 24 hours will be the high winds and flooding throughout our region. We should expect sustained winds near 26 mph through 1 p.m. and decreasing only slightly to approximately 23 mph by 2 p.m. There will be higher gusts mixed in throughout the afternoon and evening hours.

A Tropical Storm Warning has been issued until 4 p.m. due to the high winds that we will be experiencing throughout the afternoon. Our region is also currently under a Flood Warning until at least 11 p.m. on Monday as the rivers and streams continue to collect the saturated ground water.

Find out what's happening in Radnorwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The Schuylkill River was at 11.4 feet as of 4:30 a.m. Sunday. Flood Stage occurs when the river reaches 11.0 feet, yet the river is expected to rise to at least 15.5 feet by Sunday afternoon before falling back below flood stage by Monday morning. Main Street in Manayunk is closed from Ridge Avenue to Leverington Street.

Tropical Storm Irene has left more than 4 million people without power and this number may still continue to rise as the high winds and heavy rain over the northeastern states will continue to knock down even more trees and power lines.

As of 9:50 a.m., Philadelphia County received 4.84 inches of rain throughout the duration of the storm. This was on the lower end of what was expected but pushes the monthly total of August rainfall for the Philadelphia area to 17.85 inches. Philadelphia has never had this much rain in a single month ever.

 

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?