Pennsylvania Nor'easter Update: Power Outages, Travel Delays, Flooding Possible

A storm that's moving through Pennsylvania will turn into a nor'easter on Monday afternoon, and it's already having a big impact, bringing high winds that are causing downed trees, road closures and power outages.

Unfortunately it's only going to get worse before it gets better. The strongest winds are expected into Monday afternoon, and heavy rain is predicted Monday afternoon into the evening. PECO is already reporting thousands of outages, and SEPTA has experienced travel delays.

Wind speeds of 40 mph or more are possible in the Philadelphia region until 4 p.m., as well as heavy rain. Residents should be prepared for localized flooding as the heaviest rain moves through the area later in the day.

A high-wind warning is in effect through 4 p.m. Monday. A high-wind warning means forecasters anticipate wind speeds of at least 40 mph or gusts of 58 mph or more. Winds of this speed can lead to property damage, the National Weather Service warns.

"The calling card for this system is the wind. It's already a deep, inland low pressure system, so it's got a lot of wind energy with it. The coasts will have the strongest wind, but also the interior will experience gusts of 30-40 mph. There will be isolated damages and power outages with this system," said Weather Channel meteorologist Jim Cantore in a statement.

The storm could bring 1 to 2 inches of rain by Tuesday, AccuWeather predicts.

"When most people think of a nor'easter, they think of snowstorms. This nor'easter doesn't have enough cold air with it, so it will be rain along the I-95 corridor," Cantore said.

The evening commute could be complicated around the Philadelphia region, where SEPTA experienced delays during the morning rush hour due to downed wires. SEPTA updates delays on its Twitter page, which can be found here.

PECO says more than 15,000 customers are without power as of 11:30 a.m. Monday. The bulk of the outages are currently in Chester County, where more than 10,000 people are in the dark. Check the status of your neighborhood by visiting PECO's Outage Map.

Click here for tips on what to do if your power goes out.

More about the storm:

• In addition to the strong winds and heavy rain, parts of Northeastern Pennsylvania, including the Poconos, could experience a wintry mix scenario. A Winter Weather Advisory is in place there.
• The heaviest rain will fall this evening with the possibility of additional sleet. A coating of 1 inch of sleet is possible, with the best chance for a coating of 1 inch toward and north of I-80.
• The main threat will end between 1 a.m. and 4 a.m. tomorrow morning, with lighter rain and occasionally mixed showers still possible through Tuesday on the tail end of the storm.

Here is the forecast for the Philadelphia region:

Today: Rain with areas of drizzle before 1pm, then rain after 1pm. High near 43. Breezy, with a northeast wind around 23 mph, with gusts as high as 47 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Tonight: Rain. Low around 36. Breezy, with a northeast wind 18 to 22 mph, with gusts as high as 38 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New precipitation amounts between three quarters and one inch possible.

Tuesday: Rain likely, mainly before 9am. Cloudy, with a high near 45. Northwest wind 14 to 16 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.

Tuesday Night: Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly clear, with a low around 33. Northwest wind 8 to 13 mph becoming light after midnight.

Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 51. Calm wind becoming southwest 5 to 9 mph in the morning.

Wednesday Night: A slight chance of showers after midnight. Partly cloudy, with a low around 40. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 48.

Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 32.

PHOTO: NWS