New watch for severe thunderstorms in the Lehigh Valley
The Lehigh Valley is hit by a severe thunderstorm for the second day in a row Friday, even as crews continue to clean up downed trees and power lines from Thursday night’s storms that knocked out power to several thousand customers.
The latest monitoring is in effect until 11 p.m. throughout eastern Pennsylvania, including Lehigh and Northampton counties. Wind gusts up to 65 mph, ping-pong-sized hailstones, and frequent lightning are all possible with the storms, according to the National Weather Service.
Accuweather.com’s hourly forecast shows thunderstorms possible around 9 p.m., however, an early round of storms have already moved in between 5:30 and 7 p.m., prompting the Weather Service to issue a Severe Thunderstorm Warning for Northeast counties Northampton and South Central Monroe.
Severe Thunderstorm Warning including Easton, PA, Phillipsburg, NJ and Nazareth, PA until 6:15 PM EST pic.twitter.com/qJFYNE2ZjT
– NWS Mount Holly (@NWS_MountHolly) September 8, 2023
That advisory warned of the possibility of 60 mph wind gusts and nickel-sized hail from the storm, as well as damage to roofs, siding, trees and power lines, according to the weather service.
The storms also delayed several high school football games Friday evening.
Storms that moved in late Thursday afternoon and evening also brought high winds that caused minor damage across the area. At one point, more than 4,000 PPL customers were without power Thursday night, but that number quickly declined by early Friday.
PPL reported the highest concentration of outages in Salisbury, Lower Macungie, Upper Macungie, Upper Saucon and Emmaus townships in Lehigh County and in Williams Township and Hellertown in Northampton County.
A Severe Thunderstorm Watch has been issued for parts of CT, DE, DC, MD, NJ, NY, PA, VA and WV until 11 PM EST. pic.twitter.com/QOHerlItKf
– NWS Mount Holly (@NWS_MountHolly) September 8, 2023
By Friday afternoon, only several hundred PPL customers were left without power.
However, nearly 1,600 Met-Ed customers in Northampton County remained without power as of 3:30 p.m., with the largest number of outages in Lower Mount Bethel, Upper Mount Bethel and Williams townships.
Downed trees and wires closed several roads throughout the area, including Hafler Road in Lower Saucon Township.
Hot and humid again today. There is another risk of some severe thunderstorms this afternoon/evening. Isolated showers/thunderstorms this morning, then additional storms develop this evening with locally damaging wind/hail possible. Forecast updates: https://t.co/ka2HFv1KuB #pawx #njwx #dew #mdwx pic.twitter.com/RCfoPTBpyz
– NWS Mount Holly (@NWS_MountHolly) September 8, 2023
The storms come on the heels of a near-record week of heat that saw temperatures in the mid-90s and heat indexes near 100 degrees. The threat of rain and thunderstorms will continue Saturday and Sunday, but temperatures will be cooler, with highs closer to 80 degrees. As the week goes on, temperatures will be more seasonable, with highs in the low to mid 70s.
Here are the rest of the extended forecasts:
This afternoon: Scattered showers and thunderstorms. Some storms can produce gusty winds. It’s mostly sunny, with a high near 89. Winds are west at about 5 mph. The probability of rain is 20%.
Tonight: Scattered rain and thunderstorms. Some storms can produce gusty winds. The weather is mostly cloudy, with the temperature dropping to around 67. East winds around 5 mph become calm in the evening. The probability of rain is 50%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and a half of an inch are possible.
Saturday: A chance of rain and thunderstorms, especially after 2 p.m. The weather is mostly cloudy, with highs reaching 84 degrees. Winds will be calm, becoming east at about 5 mph in the afternoon. The probability of rain is 40%. New precipitation amounts range between a tenth and a quarter of an inch, with the exception of higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Saturday night: Showers and thunderstorms are possible, especially before 2 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 69. East wind around 5 mph becoming calm. The probability of rain is 70%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and a half of an inch are possible.
Sunday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms, then showers and possibly a thunderstorm after 2 p.m. High near 81. Winds calm becoming south at about 5 mph in the afternoon. The probability of rain is 80%. New precipitation amounts range between a tenth and a quarter of an inch, with the exception of higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Sunday night: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. Low around 67. Chance of rain 80%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and a half of an inch are possible.
Monday: Rain is likely before 11am, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms between 11am and 2pm, then a chance of showers and possibly a thunderstorm after 2pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 80. Chance of rain is 60%.
Monday night: Rain is likely before 8 p.m. Partly cloudy, with a low around 64. Chance of rain is 60%.
Tuesday: Chance of shower after 2pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 81. A 30% chance of rain.
Tuesday night: Rain is likely, especially after 2 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 66. Chance of rain is 60%.
Wednesday: Possibility of rain and possibly a thunderstorm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 77. Chance of rain is 70%.
Wednesday night: Possibility of rain and possibly a thunderstorm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 65. Chance of rain is 60%.
Thursday: Chance of rain showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 76. A 30% chance of rain.
Thursday night: Partly cloudy, with the temperature dropping to around 59 degrees.
Friday: It’s sunny most of the time, and the high temperature is near 74.
