Thousands Without Power In Philly Region After Destructive Winds, Thunderstorms

More than 10,000 residents are still without power around southeastern Pennsylvania Tuesday morning after a powerful storm swept through the region, as severe thunderstorms and damaging winds brought down trees and power lines around the region.

Despite a tornado watch through most of Monday, it is not yet clear if a tornado actually touched down in the Philly region, though the National Weather Service said that they were dispatching storm survey teams to assess wind damage around the greater region. Tornadoes are suspected in parts of Maryland's eastern shore and southern Delaware, where teams were dispatched early Tuesday.

Wind gusts from 50 to 70 miles an hour were detected around the region, the National Weather Service said. Philadelphia International Airport saw 60 mph, while Burlington NOS in Bucks County hit 54, Pottstown hit 58, and Heritage Field in Montgomery County hit 55. Reading Regional Airport in Berks County was the highest in the outlying suburbs at 68. See a full list of recorded wind gusts Monday here.

Winds were strong enough to take the roof off a strip mall in Lehigh County, WFMZ reports.

Downed trees and wires led to road closures, while some parks like Lower Perkiomen Valley, Valley Forge, and the Pennypack Trail had issued warnings about conditions.

Power outages are spread across the region, but Chester County appears hardest hit, with nearly 5,000 outages alone. Restoration times range from a few hours to a few days, though the number of outages has sharply dropped from Monday night, when more than 20,000 were impacted.

Forecasters described the intensity and timing of the storm as unusual, the latest instance of chaotic weather in the region.

“It is rare to forecast a high risk of severe weather from Pennsylvania to the Carolinas in mid-March," Accuweather Senior Meteorologist Adam Douty said.

Cooler air and calmer conditions will replace the storm, with sunny skies and a high of just 41 expected Tuesday. Lows will drop to the 20s and low 30s for much of the rest of the week, though a warm-up into the low 60s is expected by next weekend.

Here's the full forecast for the coming week for the Philly area, according to the National Weather Service:

Tuesday
Partly sunny, with a high near 41. Breezy, with a west wind 15 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph.

Tuesday Night
Mostly cloudy during the early evening, then gradual clearing, with a low around 26. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.

Wednesday
Mostly sunny, with a high near 42. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph.

Wednesday Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 30. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm.

Thursday
Mostly sunny, with a high near 52. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph in the afternoon.

Thursday Night
A slight chance of rain after 2 a.m. Partly cloudy, with a low around 36. Chance of precipitation is 20 percent.

Friday
Partly sunny, with a high near 57.

Friday Night
A chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 43. Chance of precipitation is 40 percent.

Saturday
Partly sunny, with a high near 57.

Saturday Night
A chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 41. Chance of precipitation is 30 percent.

Sunday
Mostly cloudy, with a high near 61.

Sunday Night
A chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 37. Chance of precipitation is 30 percent.

Monday
Mostly sunny, with a high near 52.