Storm brings rain, flooding to Philadelphia area

A heavy summer rain produced small-stream flooding across the region on Sunday, with Salem and Cumberland Counties in South Jersey the hardest hit.

A dam broke on Centerton Lake in Pittsgrove, and emergency personnel were preparing to evacuate homes in the area shortly after 8 p.m., state police said. A state of emergency was declared in that Salem County township and also in Cumberland County, where several bridges and roads became impassable due to deep water.

As much as 10 inches fell in that southern portion of the state.

Northern Delaware also had flooding, and flights were delayed at Philadelphia International Airport.

The National Weather Service in Mount Holly reported rainfall of 2 to 5 inches in many locations. "The heaviest rain has been in northeastern Maryland, northern Delaware, and southwestern New Jersey," meteorologist Dean Iovino said.

In Gloucester County, a dispatcher said he was "six screens deep" with calls reporting roads closed because of rising water. A heavy downfall was reported near Route 44 in Gloucester County, state police said.

In West Deptford, the basement wall of a house collapsed, and several residents of the Willow Woods Mobile Home Park on Crown Point Road were evacuated when the waters rose. Along the Atlantic City Expressway, "We have no accidents. People are taking their time," an officer said. Closures were reported on Route 30 in Camden County and Route 47 in Gloucester County.

In Philadelphia, police said that at midafternoon, water was covering portions of Lincoln Drive.

The intense downpour and thunderstorms were caused by clashing weather systems. "What happens is that there is an area of low pressure pushing down from the Great Lakes" colliding with a flow of very moist air coming inland off the ocean, Iovino said.

The result: lots of rain.

At Philadelphia International, more than two dozen afternoon flights to the Midwest and New England were canceled or delayed.

Heavy rainfall was expected to continue sporadically until 10 p.m., according to forecasters. The rain also should be sporadic at best for the Monday-morning commute, Iovino said.

Flash-flood warnings stretched into the night for Camden, Gloucester, and Salem Counties, among others in New Jersey, and were to remain in affect until 6 a.m. Monday. In Delaware, the Christina River and White Clay Creek overflowed their banks.

Around noon, the weather service issued a tornado warning for central Delaware, including the Dover area.

Meanwhile, delays of up to 90 minutes were reported for arriving flights at Newark Liberty Airport, and there were even longer arrival delays at LaGuardia and Kennedy airports in New York.

This article contains information from the Associated Press.