A tornado watch was in effect until 11 p.m. Wednesday for a region including Lehigh, Northampton, Warren and Hunterdon counties.
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Counties shaded in green in this National Weather Service map were under a tornado watch until 11 p.m. EST Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2016. (Courtesy graphic | For lehighvalleylive.com) Severe weather forecast Wednesday night seemed to surpass expectations for the Lehigh Valley, as a tornado watch expanded northward and flood advisories were issued for the region.
Ponding on roads made for treacherous driving throughout the region as storms brought torrential rain along with frequent lightning and strong winds.
The tornado watch previously in effect south of the Lehigh Valley and east into South Jersey was expanded into a region encompassing Lehigh, Northampton, Warren and Hunterdon counties, the National Weather Service said. It was put into effect through 11 p.m. Wednesday.
The weather service also issued an urban and small-stream flood advisory until 11 p.m. for a region including Lehigh and southwestern counties. A separate small-stream flood advisory was in effect through 12:45 a.m. Thursday for a region including southeastern Lehigh County plus Northampton, Warren and Hunterdon counties.
A more dire flash flood warning followed the flood advisories, issued by the weather service just before 10 p.m. for a region including Lehigh and Northampton counties and northwestern Warren County. Put into effect until 2 a.m. Thursday, the warning said more than an inch and a half of rain had fallen across that area and flooding was likely where the heaviest rains had occurred.
"At 8:40 p.m. EST, doppler radar indicated heavy rain approaching the region," an earlier flood advisory read. "With the ground either frozen or saturated, excessive runoff will occur.
"Expect minor flooding across those low-lying and poor-drainage areas that typically experience flooding. Small runs and creeks could also fill up quickly and overflow.
"Roads may become impassable for a short time until waters recede."
The weather service said runoff would continue for a couple more hours after the rain stops, and advised against driving anywhere where water covers the road.
"The water depth may be too great to allow your car to cross safely," the National Weather Service said. "Move to higher ground."
Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @KurtBresswein. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
