Heavy Rain Slows Down Greater Philly

The Greater Philadelphia Area continued its wettest summer on record, Tuesday with heavy rainfall that closed local roads and impacted public transportation throughout the Delaware Valley.

A Warning from the National Weather Service

The National Weather Service issued flash flood warning and watches for the Greater Philly area, calling for “moderate to heavy rainfall” for the area and predicting "scattered thunderstorms … accompanied by strong wind gusts and frequent … lighting" throughout the area. 

Anywhere between two to four inches of rain was expected, causing flood watches to last late into Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning. 

Sog Stops SEPTA

The rainfall interrupted a number of regional rail lines and busses on Tuesday, according to a release from SEPTA.

The Trenton, Wilmington/Newark, Paoli/Thorndale, Media/Elwyn and Manayunk/Norristown line all saw delays or suspended service as rain reportedly washed away parts of train track.

“When severe weather hits, our priorities are to provide customers with service information, work through the service delays, and dispatch our crews to stations or areas hardest hit,” SEPTA spokesperson Jerri Williams said in a release. “This takes a team effort with several SEPTA departments and hundreds of our employees working together.”

Most rail lines were back on schedule by 10 a.m., according to the release.

Just before noon, SEPTA tweeted that "Service is operating on or close to schedule." Regional Rail lines including Paoli-Thorndale and Chestnut Hill West had suspended service earlier in the morning.