Thousands without power in Philadelphia region due to gusty winds; delays, cancellations pile up at PHL
Strong winds developed behind a winter storm crossing the Philadelphia region, with gusts between 40 and 60 mph throughout Sunday into Monday. Due to the weather conditions, a wind advisory is in place for the Delaware Valley through 6 p.m. Monday.
High winds brought down trees, branches and utility lines; power outages have also been reported. Delays and cancellations are already adding up at Philadelphia International Airport after a day of travel trouble due to high winds.
Wind gusts as high as 71 mph in Atlantic City, New Jersey, have been reported around the region.
What is a high wind warning?
This type of weather warning isn't something we hear about too often in Philadelphia. A high wind warning is issued when the following weather conditions are expected:
- Sustained winds of 40 mph or higher for one hour or longer
- Wind gusts of 58 mph or higher for any duration of time
Woman dead after tree falls on car in Northeast Philadelphia
A woman was found dead inside a car in Northeast Philadelphia on Sunday night, police said.
The woman was found in the driver's seat of a grey Honda Accord on the 500 block of West Hill Creek Drive. She was pronounced dead on the scene, according to police.
How to track and report power outages in your area
With wind gusts ranging up to 40-60 mph in the Delaware Valley (up to 55-59 mph in Philadelphia), our NEXT Weather team says these are damaging winds and something to prepare for.
Tie down any loose items and charge up your devices, since power outages are possible. As of Monday at 1 p.m., PECO reported there were 1,584 power outages with 33,084 customers affected.
Here's how you can track any power outages that your energy company may be dealing with and if necessary, how you can report one.
PECO
PPL
Met-Ed/First Energy
PSE&G
Delmarva Power
Atlantic City Electric
Delays, cancellations at Philadelphia International Airport
The strong winds and rain made for a difficult day at the airport Sunday. More than 300 flights in and out of Philadelphia International were delayed or canceled.
According to FlightAware.com, at least 320 flights were delayed Sunday night, and 115 were canceled. All flights to PHL were grounded for about 30 minutes Sunday evening, but that was lifted.
As of 2:25 p.m. Monday, there are about 161 delays and 57 cancellations at the airport.
For the most up-to-date status of your flight, PHL recommends checking directly with your airline. Airport officials said some of the flight delays and cancellations for Monday may be residual from Sunday.
As for rail travel, all Amtrak services between Philadelphia and Wilmington are experiencing delays due to "power/communication issues in the area."
Power lines knocked down across Philadelphia region
Before heading out on your commute Monday morning, Pennsylvania residents are advised to check 511PA, the state's travel information service, to see if there are any roadblocks on your drive.
At 40th and Locust streets in University City, power lines were knocked down due to the wind, causing power outages for several city blocks.
Police have the area blocked off as they wait for PECO crews to arrive.
PECO is also responding to a power outage that closed the Please Touch Museum in Fairmount Park on Monday. The museum said the power outage was caused by the recent strong winds the region felt Sunday-Monday.
In Bucks County, Bustleton Pike is closed between Gravel Hill Road and Stump Road due to several downed power lines, trees and poles, according to the Upper Southampton Township Police Department.
In Springfield Township in Delaware County, Beatty Road between Barry Drive and Sproul Road is closed due to downed power lines and trees, police said.
In Solebury Township, the following roads are closed due to downed trees or wires:
- River Road, just north of Aquetong Road
- Green Hill Road between Sugan and Mechanicsville roads
- Sugan Road between Greenville and Mechanicsville roads
- Creamery Road from Route 263 and Mechanicsville Road
Meanwhile, police say the Lower Moreland Township area is dealing with a large number of power outages, including a traffic light that went out in all directions for Huntingdon Pike and Byberry Road.
