Flooding Closes Major Roads, Prompts Water Rescues In Eastern PA

Heavy rain caused flooding along several major roadways in the Philadelphia region Monday, creating travel problems and prompting water rescues.

The Schuylkill Expressway (I-76) has been shut down in both directions in King of Prussia near Route 202. The Pennsylvania Turnpike was closed eastbound at Valley Forge (Exit 326) and westbound at Norristown (Exit 333). It has since reopened.

Water rescues were underway on many parts of the Turnpike, where flooding was heaviest near milepost 328. High water swamped multiple vehicles and trapped motorists near King of Prussia.

Southbound I-476 in Delaware County is at a crawl due to flooding. PennDOT traffic cameras show major backups on the road near Exit 9 in Broomall. KYW reports traffic is jammed from Broomall up to Conshohocken.

There were at least 11 separate water rescue operations underway in the Upper Merion and Norristown areas, as well as in West Norriton and East Norriton, officials said. Click here for details.

Also, flooding was reported inside the King of Prussia Mall, where many stores were forced to close.

A flash flood warning is in place in the Philadelphia region, including in Montgomery, Bucks, and Delaware counties, through 12:45 p.m. A flash flood watch extends throughout the day Monday.

"Several rounds of heavy showers and thunderstorms are expected to impact the area into this evening. The storms will be capable of producing very heavy downpours resulting in urban, small stream and flash flooding," the NWS warned.

State officials say they are monitoring the situation.

According to The Weather Channel, heavy rain will be off and on Monday. There may be a slight break in the late afternoon, but more storms are expected to move through in the evening.

Residents along small streams and creeks, as well as in urban areas should be prepared for flash flooding. "The ground remains fairly saturated due to the recent heavy rainfall," the NWS said.

Monday's wet weather is a continuation of weekend rain that caused numerous flooding issues throughout the region. In New Jersey it got particularly bad. Cars from a dealership became submerged in water and were captured on video floating away in a river.

For a week, officials along the Delaware River have been warning residents to avoid recreational activities on the water due to high levels.

More rain is in the forecast for Tuesday, but the sun is predicted to come out Wednesday.

Here is the forecast:

Today: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after noon. Some of the storms could produce heavy rainfall. Cloudy, with a high near 82. East wind 6 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Tonight: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly before 10pm. Some of the storms could produce heavy rainfall. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 69. East wind around 6 mph becoming calm in the evening. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Tuesday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 4pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 85. Calm wind becoming west 5 to 8 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Tuesday Night: Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm before 8pm, then a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms between 8pm and 10pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 67. West wind 5 to 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 91. West wind around 7 mph.

Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 71.

Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 91.

Thursday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 73.