Hurricane Ian Vs. Last Year's Ida: How Impact To PA Could Compare

PENNSYLVANIA — Hurricane Ian slammed into Florida Tuesday with wind speeds just shy of Category 5 force, drawing comparisons to some of the most destructive and notorious storms in history. The storm will continue to make its way through the southeast and, depending on its trajectory, could cause significant impacts in the Delaware Valley.

While the greater Philadelphia area is immune to some of the most severe damages from coastal storms faced by the nearby New Jersey and Delaware beaches, the region has seen an outsized number of severe weather events amid climatic shifts in recent years. Powerful weather made even stronger by the effects of climate change has spurred everything from floods and tornadoes to deluges amid droughts followed by deluges.

See full coverage of Hurricane Ian.

Ian could reach the southern half of Pennsylvania with rainfall by this weekend, with the potential for downpours continuing into next week, AccuWeather says. See full coverage of Hurricane Ian here.

As the region braces for what could be another devastating storm, the most recent hurricane to upend life in the area is still in the consciousness of area residents.

Just over a year ago, the remnants of Hurricane Ida brought the Delaware Valley one of the most destructive storms in history.

The state estimates that at least $117 million in damages were incurred. It brought all-time record flooding to the Schuylkill River and the Perkiomen Creek. The Schuylkill reached 26.85 feet in Norristown, eclipsing the previous record of 25.10 feet from June 1972. The Perkiomen, meanwhile, hit 20.62 feet at Graterford, beating the 2020 record of 19.3.

Thousands were forced to evacuate from their homes or saw their property damaged. Businesses that never had to worry about flooding suddenly saw their livelihood several feet under muddy waters.

At least seven tornadoes touched down in densely populated metropolitan areas. Five of those tornadoes hit southeastern Pennsylvania, with three whipping through parts of Bucks County, one in Montgomery County, and another in Chester County. The tornadoes in southeastern Pennsylvania ranged in wind strength from 90 miles an hour to 130 miles per hour.

Anxieties over future severe weather events exacerbated by the effects of climate change were left at a high. Four people were killed.

At its peak as it came out of the Atlantic, Ida was also a Category 4 storm, with winds and impacts in parts of the south that exceeded anything in recorded history outside of Hurricane Katrina. The storm's eye moved out of the gulf from from northwest Florida and Louisiana across the southeast and directly through Philadelphia and New York City before re-entering the Atlantic north.

Ian, too, is bringing sustained winds of nearly 150 miles per hour as it makes landfall, and has the potential to be even more powerful. It's track is different: it's headed up the Gulf Coast of Florida toward Atlanta and straight north, as opposed to Ida's sharper northeast curve.

While the storm will slow as it continues inland and potentially westward, that slower front could mean even more damages, as it means longer periods of heavy rainfall, AccuWeather says.

"Ian will slow down over the Southeast states, but as long as it maintains some forward speed, rainfall will be heavy but not over the top," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski said. "However, if Ian stalls over the Southeast for a day or two, there is the potential for much heavier rainfall to fall over a broad area, including interior locations."

Here's the latest forecast for the area for the next week, according to the National Weather Service:

Wednesday

Sunny, with a high near 68. Northwest wind around 10 mph.

Wednesday night

Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming clear, with a low around 52. North wind around 5 mph.

Thursday

Sunny, with a high near 69. North wind 5 to 10 mph.

Thursday night

Partly cloudy, with a low around 51. North wind around 5 mph.

Friday

Partly sunny, with a high near 69. Northeast wind 5 to 10 mph.

Friday night

A slight chance of rain after 2am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 55. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Saturday

Rain likely, mainly after 2pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 66. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

Saturday night

Rain likely. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 56. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

Sunday

Rain likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 66. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

Sunday night

A chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 55. Chance of precipitation is 50%.

Monday

A chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 63. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

Monday night

A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 55. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

Tuesday

A chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 66. Chance of precipitation is 30%.