Severe Microbursts Cause Widespread Damage in Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA -- Residents in some Philadelphia neighborhoods and surrounding counties were cleaning up Sunday from widespread damage caused by a line of severe, short thunderstorms that passed through.

The storms, called microbursts, passed through Saturday afternoon, downing trees and power lines, flooding a handful of streets and causing structural damage. A building that collapsed in a West Philadelphia neighborhood threw bricks into the street, crushing cars and blocking trolley tracks.

The National Weather Service said at least four of the microbursts brought straight-line wind gusts of 60 to 70 mph (97 to 113 kph) to Montgomery and Philadelphia counties between about 2:30 and 3:15 p.m. Saturday. Despite speculation that the damage — including part of a roof torn off a Philadelphia Housing Authority apartment building — had been caused by a tornado, NWS officials confirmed the straight-line winds were to blame.

The microbursts in Philadelphia were among a range of severe weather across the U.S. this weekend that included heatwaves, flooding and wildfires.

In a news release early Sunday from Philadelphia officials, Mayor Cherelle Parker said she had toured the damage in multiple neighborhoods in her city throughout Saturday afternoon and evening. The city issued a Declaration of Disaster Emergency related to the storms.

“Every level of government is working together today, tonight, and for as long as it takes to respond to this storm, restore services, and help our residents recover. That is our commitment,” she said.

Philadelphia Housing Authority officials said 11 residential units were affected by the roof and water damage at its apartment building. All residents were safely evacuated to temporary shelter before being relocated to a nearby hotel.

Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management staff also helped evacuate at least one private residential property because of damage as well, city officials said.