PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — Our area is on weather alert Monday afternoon and evening. Between 2:00 p.m., a series of fast-moving severe thunderstorms will cross the area. and 8 p.m. The storms are driven by a strong cold front and upper level disturbances.
Stay on the air with the Eyewitness News Weather Team, online and streaming on CBS News Philadelphia for your most up-to-date forecasts. You can also download the CBS Philly app for the latest news and weather information.
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Major threats include damaging winds in excess of 70 miles per hour and tornadoes are possible. Additional threats include intense lightning and large hail, as well as brief downpours.
An increased severe weather risk has been issued by the Storm Prediction Center for Philadelphia along with all counties in southeastern Pennsylvania, the Lehigh Valley, the New Jersey suburbs near the I-95 corridor and northern Delaware.
This level of risk is rarely reported for our area and has historically been accompanied by widespread damage and a few tornadoes.
The severe weather could result in a rough afternoon and evening commute with travel delays as the storms move from west to east.
Impacts include some downed trees and power lines, isolated power outages, difficult travel and local flooding.
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Meanwhile, some school districts released students early ahead of the storm, including Bucks County’s Quakertown and Palisades Schools and Lehigh County’s Northampton Area School District.
The Philadelphia School District canceled all after-school and athletic activities ahead of the storm.
WEATHER UPDATE: All of the school district’s after-school and athletic activities are canceled today due to the approaching storm. Read the full message here: https://t.co/2TtZtr3bKA
— Philadelphia Schools (@PHLschools) May 16, 2022
There is a low risk of severe weather in South Jersey closer to shore, the Jersey Shore and southern Delaware.
The current timeframes of concern are 2pm to 5pm for the Lehigh Valley, 4pm to 7pm for the greater Philadelphia area and 5pm to 8pm for the Jersey Shore.
Have a safety plan for you and your family. Especially children who come home from school and are home alone after school. Knowing what to do, where to seek shelter and who to turn to.
Follow this afternoon’s storms on our free CBS Philly app, where you’ll be notified instantly if dangerous weather is approaching where you live.
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