BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Showers and thunderstorms, some severe, could continue across the Lehigh Valley before 8 p.m. tonight, with localized flash flooding also a possibility.
The Weather Prediction Center flagged the region as a spot where "some cells may remain fairly stationary," leading to heavy rainfall rates of 2 to 3 inches.
- The Lehigh Valley could see showers and thunderstorms, some severe, Tuesday evening
- The region is under a severe thunderstorm watch until 8 p.m.
- Rainfall rates of 2 to 3 inches an hour are possible
Models showed a corridor of nearly 2 inches of rain possible extending along Interstate 95 from Washington, D.C. to Philadelphia, a forecast discussion said, along with a corridor of up to 1.5 inches near northern New Jersey and into New York.
It flagged "convergence hotspots" for areas where heavier rain will be possible.
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Severe storms move in
Severe thunderstorms already were impacting parts of northeastern Lehigh and west central Northampton counties about 1 p.m., with a strong thunderstorm containing wind gusts of 40 mph and pea-size hail.
A severe thunderstorm warning was issued for parts of Berks, Lehigh, Bucks and Montgomery counties until 1:45 p.m.
Some storms contained 60 mph wind gusts and quarter-size hail, with minor damage to vehicles possible and additional damage to roofs, siding, trees and power lines possible.
A severe thunderstorm watch is in effect until 8 p.m.
Flash flooding a problem this summer
The concerns for flash flooding come as parts of the Lehigh Valley have endured extreme rainfall over the past few weeks.
The most recent was a severe flash flooding event on Sunday, July 16.
As of July 21, 11 municipalities reported damages from the event; six municipalities have enacted disaster declarations and the county has gotten reports of residential damages from more than 150 households.
Affected residents are encouraged to visit http://ncem-pa.org/ to start the assessment process. That will let the county send detailed damage reports to both the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency.
PEMA this week will hold a first-of-its-kind summit in Philadelphia focused on those ages 65 and older.
“As this segment of the population increases, emergency managers must consider disparities and barriers involving age, income and access and functional needs along with the many vulnerability factors that may make preparing for disasters more difficult for some individuals and communities,” MaryAnn Tierney, FEMA’s Region 3 regional administrator, said.
