Philadelphia Braces for 2-3 Inches-an-Hour Storms as Smoke Drives AQI to 267
Updated
Updated · The Philadelphia Inquirer · Jul 17
Philadelphia Braces for 2-3 Inches-an-Hour Storms as Smoke Drives AQI to 267
3 articles · Updated · The Philadelphia Inquirer · Jul 17
Summary
Code purple air alerts shut Philadelphia pools and spraygrounds Friday, paused trash pickup and kept the zoo closed as wildfire smoke pushed the city’s AQI to about 267 and Chester to 312.
Saturday should bring some relief from the smoke, with Pennsylvania lowering the region to a code orange alert, but the same system is forecast to trigger multiple rounds of thunderstorms.
A flood watch runs from 10 a.m. Saturday to 2 a.m. Sunday, with storms capable of dropping 2 to 3 inches of rain per hour, producing flash flooding, damaging winds and a possible tornado.
Trash collection is expected to resume cautiously over the weekend if air improves, while pools may reopen if conditions fall to code red or lower.
The new threat hits a city still under a disaster emergency after last weekend’s microbursts downed nearly 300 trees and knocked out power to tens of thousands.