Weekend Storm With 'Drenching Downpours' In Forecast For Eastern PA

PHILADELPHIA, PA — A stretch of pleasant and sunny weather will likely be broken this weekend as a looming storm moves across the region, bringing the potential for "drenching downpours" Saturday, forecasters warn.

In the Philadelphia region, that means the streak of 70-degree temperatures and sunshine will be snapped by a storm front that could bring heavy downpours, thunderstorms and flash flooding over a 12-hour period.

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"In addition to bringing a 12-hour period of soggy weather, it's not out of the question that this storm could bring drenching downpours," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Tyler Roys said. During the storm, 1 to 2 inches of rain could fall across Eastern Pennsylvania, forecasters predict.

The National Weather Service predicts the rain will move into the Philadelphia region after 2 p.m. on Saturday.

Meanwhile, forecasters continue to watch the Atlantic despite a lull in hurricane activity. The last time there was not a tropical storm in the Atlantic basin between Aug. 21 to Sept. 2 was in 1997.

"Because of the extended lull in activity, AccuWeather's hurricane experts have lowered their initial prediction of named storms and hurricanes for the 2024 Atlantic season," forecasters said this week.

AccuWeather is now predicting 16 to 20 named storms, which is still above the historical average of 14 named storms in the Atlantic basin.

The National Hurricane Center is currently watching three potential disturbances, however, the likelihood of storm activity as a result is unknown at this time.

Here is the current local forecast:

Today: Sunny, with a high near 78. Calm wind becoming east around 5 mph in the afternoon.

Tonight: Clear, with a low around 52. East wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.

Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 78. East wind 5 to 10 mph.

Thursday night: Increasing clouds, with a low around 60. Northeast wind around 5 mph.

Friday: Partly sunny, with a high near 79. Northeast wind 5 to 10 mph.

Friday Night: A slight chance of showers after 2am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 64. Chance of precipitation is 20 percent.

Saturday: Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm, mainly after 2 pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 75. Chance of precipitation is 60 percent.

Saturday Night: Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm before 8pm, then a chance of showers between 8 pm and 2 am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 54. Chance of precipitation is 60 percent.

Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 71.