Heavy rains hit Philadelphia area

The Philadelphia area saw its first significant rainfall in more than a month Monday morning as heavy showers spurred alerts about flooding and caused some transit problems.

All northbound lanes of a stretch of Interstate 476 in Delaware County were closed for about two hours due to flooding. The heavily trafficked highway reopened just before 7 a.m.

The rain caused other transportation-related issues in the region, including a brief suspension of New Jersey Transit's River Line service between the Walter Rand Transportation Center and Entertainment Center. That service was restored shortly after 7 a.m.

Flood watches and advisories have been posted for the buik of the area.

Many places in the region saw about an inch of rain after overnight and early-morning showers, with more rain and the potential for thunderstorms are expected throughout the day.

A flash flood watch, in effect through Monday night, says some storms could lead to as much as two inches of rain in an hour.

At Philadelphia International Airport, just more than 1 inch had fallen as of mid-morning, the National Weather Service said.

Urban areas, small streams and poor-drainage areas are most likely to experience flooding, the weather service said.

Officials are warning people to avoid driving on flooded roads. Water on flooded streets may be deeper than it appears.

The rain comes just after Philadelphia concluded an unusually dry May: Just 1.19 inches of rain was recorded at Philadelphia International Airport last month, about 2.5 inches less than normal, according to the weather service.

The last time Philadelphia saw a significant amount of rain was April 20, when about two inches were recorded, followed by another 0.82 inch the next day.