Tropical Storm Debby moved west overnight and Bucks County and much of the region are under a tornado watch until Friday afternoon.
"Tornadoes and locally damaging wind gusts may cause downed trees and power lines," the National Weather Service warned Thursday night. Bucks County is also under a flood watch and a wind advisory until 8 p.m.
Winds will also be heavy with "15-30 mph with gusts 35-50 mph outside of any thunderstorms," the NWS said.
"Frequent gusts of 35 to 45 mph winds will be possible which when combined with saturated grounds will have the potential to bring down trees," according to the NWS. "Tree limbs could be blown down and a few power outages may result."
A confirmed tornado touched down Thursday night some 60 miles away from Levittown in Marshallton, Delaware.
Tropical storm Debby will continue to impact Bucks County and the region throughout Friday before moving out to New England to Saturday.
The storm made landfall in South Carolina early Thursday morning and is near the border of North Carolina. According to the National Weather Service, the storm will track north into North Carolina as a Tropical Depression today and move through central Virginia on Friday morning.
What is the difference between a tornado watch and a tornado warning?
The National Weather Service issues a tornado watch when conditions are possible for tornados. These are generally targeted to a larger area that could see extreme weather and alert the general public to be prepared.
A tornado warning means a tornado is imminent and the weather service can usually be more specific in its alert. A warning should spur action to get to a safe location.
The National Weather Service is the only agency allowed to declare watches and warnings. These time-specific and when a warning is issued impacted residents and business are asked to action and seek safe shelter. A warning is an indication that a tornado has been sighted or indicated by weather radar, according to the NWS. There is imminent danger to life and property.
Storm warningDebby storm path: A look at the flooding, destruction storm has caused since landfall
How will Tropical Storm Debby affect Bucks County?
Debby will head into Lower Bucks County overnight Thursday. Heavier rains will fall by dawn Friday and continue through the day. Lower Bucks will see about 1.5 inches of rain throughout the day. The storm will clear out between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. Friday, said meteorologist Patrick O’Hara with the National Weather Service in Mount Holly, New Jersey.
“Heavy rain, strong winds mainly Friday. There’s a chance of tornadoes that spin up across the area with these kinds of tropical systems, and the rains will be enough for local flooding,” he said.
Lower Bucks County, which has had between three and five inches of rain this week, will see an additional 1.5 inches of rain. The heaviest rains will hit from Newtown and places north of it, receiving from 2 inches to 2.5 inches over the course of the day.
Lower-lying places like Croydon, and along the Neshaminy Creek and Delaware River could see localized flooding, which will happen more quickly than normal, since the ground is already soaked.
But there’s good news, too.
“The weekend is going to be really nice, sunny and in the 80s,” O’Hara said.
JD Mullane can be reached at 215-949-5745 or at jmullane@couriertimes.com.
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