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Wind gusts up to 60 miles per hour, rain storm in Philly region Monday

A mattress is wrapped around a stripped tree on Devonshire Street on the north side of Washington, Ill., Sunday, Nov. 17, 2013. Intense thunderstorms and tornadoes swept across the Midwest. The storm systems were headed east, but no tornadoes are expected here. (AP Photo/The Pantagraph, Steve Smedley)
A mattress is wrapped around a stripped tree on Devonshire Street on the north side of Washington, Ill., Sunday, Nov. 17, 2013. Intense thunderstorms and tornadoes swept across the Midwest. The storm systems were headed east, but no tornadoes are expected here. (AP Photo/The Pantagraph, Steve Smedley)Read more
    by Alex Wigglesworth, For Philly.com
    Published 

Though the Philadelphia region won't be getting hit with any tornadoes like those that ripped through the Midwest Sunday, the storm system is expected to bring severe weather to the area late Sunday through early Monday, according to the National Weather Service in Mount Holly.

"[The system] is coming through early Monday morning, so it's not going to have the same punch as it has had in the Midwest — the air mass is not going to be as unstable," NWS meteorologist Anthony Gigi said. "The predominant threat is the possibility of some pockets of damaging winds."

While sustained speeds of 10 to 20 miles per hour are expected beginning Sunday night, the strongest of those winds could include gusts as high as 60 miles per hour possibly between 1 a.m. and 6 a.m. Monday, bringing the risk of downed trees, property damage and power outages.

The front is expected to be accompanied by brief, heavy downpours early Monday. Officials said the rainfall total is forecast to be less than an inch but, due to the projected intensity of the showers, flooding could occur in areas with poor drainage.

"Most places will get around a quarter to a half an inch [of rain]," Gigi said. "The storm is kind of fast moving, in general, and the rain associated with it is probably going to last for a few hours." Though there is a possibility of isolated thunderstorms as the front moves through the region overnight, intense lightning is not expected.

The brunt of the bad weather is forecast to hit the area around 3 or 4 a.m. Monday morning, according to Gigi. "That's probably your highest changes for getting strong winds," he said. "There could be a little rain before that and after that, but most of it, if not all of it, is going to be pretty much done in time for the morning commute."

The storm is expected to leave in its wake a cold front, with temperatures dropping 15 degrees between Monday and Tuesday. The forecast for Tuesday is characterized by blustery winds and highs in the mid-to-upper-40s.