Tri-State area power outages, storm damage during tornado watch
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- It was a fast-moving storm but it stuck around long enough to do some damage Saturday.
The power was out for several hours at Conshohocken State Road and Woodbine Avenue. That's where the storm knocked a large tree onto a power line.
The storm knocked down a tree onto power lines at Woodbine Ave. and Conshohocken State Road. in Lower Merion Township. The traffic light and 64 homes in the area are in the dark. @PECOconnect is on scene working to restore power. pic.twitter.com/yJlhKOOdnj
— Madeleine Wright (@MWrightReports) April 2, 2023
It was a powerful storm that brought heavy rain, intense wind, and flashes of lightning. Drivers navigated through water on Rock Hill Road in Bala Cynwyd.
"The rain was pretty hard," Steve Schmidt said. "Wind and lightning were bad, and like I said, it shook the house when it hit."
Schmidt was at his home near where the tree went down. When he says he heard a loud bang and the power went out around 6 o'clock Saturday night.
"I think the pole got hit by lightning," Schmidt said. "It got split in half over there. And there were some trees down the other direction as well."
PECO arrived on the scene to assess the damage.
"We're waiting for the tree crew to get here, but in the meantime, we're going to cut some isolation in on the power lines to get some of the customers' power back on until we can get this pole replaced and this tree out of the area where the pole came down," foreperson at PECO, Janeen Priano said.
If you smell natural gas or see downed power lines, officials say to leave the area immediately and notify your utility company.
As the Tri-State area was under a severe thunderstorm watch that escalated to a tornado watch, CBS News Philadelphia took a look at the power outages and damages around our area.
For PECO in Pa, there are 260 active outages as of 10:11 p.m. with over 18,000 customers affected.
Atlantic City Electric in New Jersey has 93 active outages as of 10:10 p.m. with a little over 3,000 customers affected.
Delmarva Power in Delaware and Maryland has 162 active outages as of 10:12 p.m. with over 10,000 customers affected.
Below is some coverage from the CBS News Philadelphia team.
#weather video from Mercer County pic.twitter.com/A36gezniTI
— Aziza Shuler (@AzizaShuler) April 1, 2023
Heavy rain, lightning, wind, and some hail are moving through Galloway Twp., NJ right now. This is near the Wawa on the White Horse Pike. @BillKellyWX and @AndrewKozakTV are tracking these severe storms on @CBSPhiladelphia pic.twitter.com/eZ7vOkidsV
— Ryan Hughes (@HughesCBS3) April 2, 2023
Philadelphia didn’t really get any snow this year, but parts of the Northeast section of the city appear to have measurable hail after a powerful line of storms blasted through a short time ago, producing tornado warnings and severe thunderstorms. @CBSPhiladelphia pic.twitter.com/04rcv62j3w
— Joe Holden (@JoeHoldenCBS3) April 1, 2023
Intense downpour of rain heading west on the Schuylkill Expressway near Manayunk. Windshield wipers going at full speed. Sky is repeatedly flashing. Voice of @BillKellyWX in the background explaining the severe weather threat on the @CBSPhiladelphia app. pic.twitter.com/FnVZRwlLVt
— Madeleine Wright (@MWrightReports) April 1, 2023