Schuylkill River, Areal Flood Warnings in Effect
Heads up: It’s extremely wet out there, with no signs of letting up.
The Weather Channel has issued a river flood warning for the Schuylkill River through Friday morning:
THE FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES FOR THE SCHUYLKILL RIVER AT PHILADELPHIA. * UNTIL FRIDAY MORNING… OR UNTIL THE WARNING IS CANCELLED. * AT 5:31 PM WEDNESDAY THE STAGE WAS 10.2 FEET. * FLOOD STAGE IS 11.0 FEET. * MINOR FLOODING IS FORECAST. * FORECAST… RISE ABOVE FLOOD STAGE BY THIS EVENING AND CONTINUE TO RISE TO NEAR 12.9 FEET BY TOMORROW MORNING. THE RIVER WILL FALL BELOW FLOOD STAGE BY EARLY FRIDAY MORNING. * IMPACT… AT 13.0 FEET… MAIN STREET IN MANAYUNK IS CLOSED FROM RIDGE AVENUE TO LEVERINGTON STREET.
As a result, Lincoln, Kelly and MLK are all experiencing closures due to flooding:
.@Philly Police #Traffic KELLY DR N.B.LANES CLOSED BETWEEN STRAWBERRY MANSION DR AND FOUNTAIN GREEN DR. DUE TO FLOODING.
— Joe Sullivan (@Joe_p_Sullivan) April 30, 2014
.@Philly Police LINCOLN DRIVE IS CLOSED IN BOTH DIRECTIONS BETWEEN GYPSY LANE AND RITTENHOUSE LANE DUE TO FLOODING
— Joe Sullivan (@Joe_p_Sullivan) April 30, 2014
.@Philly Police Travel Kelly dr flooding Strawberry Mansion Bridge. King Dr partial block Strawberry Mansion/Montgomery PWD working on both
— Joe Sullivan (@Joe_p_Sullivan) April 30, 2014
The Philadelphia Police Department has issued a weather advisory:
Due to the heavy rains being experienced in the Philadelphia Region, residents are urged to stay indoors throughout the storm. Those traveling by vehicle should exercise extreme caution when coming upon road flooding which may be accompanied by swift water. Persons trapped in their vehicle by swift water are advised to contact 911 and remain in their vehicle until help arrives. Those persons on foot are also advised to avoid standing/moving water thereby avoiding unseen hazards below the water surface.
Furthermore, parents are reminded of the dangerous conditions involving the various creeks and streams throughout the city such as the Wissahickon and Pennypack. These waterways become treacherous during and after storms with large amounts of rainfall. Flash flooding may occur which has led to several deaths each year. Persons of all ages should stay away from these areas until conditions improve and warnings have been lifted.
The National Weather Service has extended areal flood warnings through 9:45 p.m. tonight.
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MOUNT HOLLY NJ HAS EXTENDED THE FLOOD WARNING FOR URBAN AREAS AND SMALL STREAMS IN… BERKS COUNTY IN EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA… MONTGOMERY COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA… PHILADELPHIA COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA… DELAWARE COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA… NORTHERN NEW CASTLE COUNTY IN NORTHERN DELAWARE… CECIL COUNTY IN NORTHEAST MARYLAND… CHESTER COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA… UNTIL 945 PM EDT
* AT 414 PM EDT…RAINFALL, BETWEEN TWO AND FOUR INCHES, HAS ALREADY FALLEN ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE WARNED AREA. AN ADDITIONAL ONE TO THREE INCHES IS POSSIBLE INTO THIS EVENING.
EXCESSIVE RUNOFF ASSOCIATED WITH THIS RAINFALL WILL CAUSE SIGNIFICANT FLOODING OF HIGHWAYS, STREETS, AND OTHER POOR DRAINAGE AREAS AND LOW LYING SPOTS SUCH AS UNDERPASSES.
SMALLER CREEKS AND STREAMS WILL ALSO RISE ABOVE THEIR BANKS. SOME CREEKS INCLUDE THE MANATAWNY, PERKIOMEN AND IT’S BRANCHES, FRENCH, WISSAHICKON, CHESTER, CRUM, AND THE BRANDYWINE AND IT’S BRANCHES. SIGNIFICANT FLOODING IS EXPECTED.
ALL INTERESTED PARTIES SHOULD TAKE NECESSARY PRECAUTIONS IMMEDIATELY.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO AREAS WHERE THE WATER COVERS THE ROADWAY. THE WATER DEPTH MAY BE TOO GREAT TO ALLOW YOUR CAR TO CROSS SAFELY. MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND.
DRIVING INTO FLOOD WATERS COULD PUT YOUR LIFE AT RISK AND COST YOU THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS IN VEHICLE REPAIRS. FLOOD WATERS MAY BE DEEPER THAN YOU THINK. TURN AROUND AND FIND AN ALTERNATE ROUTE.
DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF FLOOD WATERS. ONLY A FEW INCHES OF RAPIDLY FLOWING WATER CAN QUICKLY CARRY AWAY YOUR VEHICLE.
