BETHLEHEM, Pa. — A cold front interacting with moisture from Tropical Storm Debby left the region awash in heavy rain Tuesday, triggering flash-flood warnings and water rescues.
At least 2.69 inches of rain fell in the Nazareth area, according to reports from the National Weather Service just before 11 p.m.
Martins Creek had 2.41 inches at that time, and Eastlawn Gardens in Nazareth Township saw 2.13 inches.
Around 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Northampton County dispatchers reported water rescues in Forks Township in the area of Frost Hollow Road and North Delaware Drive, along with at least one submerged vehicle near Riverview Country Club.
In Lehigh County, Slatington recorded 2.54 inches of precipitation and New Tripoli saw 2.41 inches. Fogelsville also reported 2.31 inches, according to the latest data from the weather service.
Heaviest rain shifted south, east
While a severe downpour with lightning ended country music group Old Dominion's sold-out headline concert on Musikfest's main Steel Stage after just a half hour of music Tuesday, the Lehigh Valley area fared a little bit better the rest of the evening.
The weather service canceled the severe thunderstorm watch at 9 p.m., and the heaviest axis of rain shifted southward to places such as Bristol in Bucks County, which saw nearly 4 inches of precipitation.
In Berks County, Sinking Spring was tops in rainfall totals with 3.46 inches.
Across the region, the highest totals Tuesday were in places such as Burlington County, New Jersey. The township of Delran reportedly had more than 7 inches of rain, while Fairview and New Albany saw around 6 inches.
“It should have put a big dent in alleviating the drought concerns that are over the region, but we do have more coming over the next couple of days," EPAWA meteorologist Bobby Martrich said in his latest video update.
What will Debby bring?
Forecasters continue to keep a close eye on Tropical Storm Debby, which continued to bring heavy rainfall across parts of eastern South Carolina and southeast North Carolina early Wednesday.
The storm also continues to influence the Lehigh Valley’s weather.
“A very humid, wet and rainy forecast is on tap for the short term," the weather service said in its latest forecast discussion.
"A (mainly) stalled frontal boundary and tropical air mass will continue to plague the region Thursday and Thursday night while tropical moisture from Debby to our south continues to stream into the region.”
But shifts in Debby’s track have improved outlooks for the region on Friday.
Flash flooding concerns will continue over the next 3 days. 🌧️⛈️🌧️ pic.twitter.com/DmpEYY8UfQ
— NWS Mount Holly (@NWS_MountHolly) August 7, 2024
“These are tropical systems and are guided by external forces, and in this case, they still follow the laws of physics,” Martrich said.
“They can’t do whatever they want, and if any of the other features that guide this system are delayed, we’re going to have a delay also in where it goes.”
Martrich said the latest guidance puts the heaviest rain from Debby in western Pennsylvania before it turns and tracks directly over top of the region instead of offshore.
“It’s going to cut down on precipitation at the end of the week,” Martrich said. “We’re still going to get a decent amount of rain from it, we’re just not going to get a tremendous amount.”
The latest forecasts bring the storm through mostly Friday evening and overnight into early Saturday before quickly moving out.
That could leave Saturday mostly sunny and pleasant, Martrich said.
Overall rainfall totals from Debby look to be 2 to 4 inches, Martrich said. That’s in line with the weather service outlook, which said locally higher amounts exceeding 5 inches are possible in some areas.
Additionally, while the severe threat will be low, given the forecast track of Debby, "an isolated tornado as typically seen in these types of events cannot be ruled out at this stage," the weather service said.
