Philadelphians are waking up to a blanket of fog and the promise of soggy streets today, as the National Weather Service (NWS) has extended a coastal flood advisory and issued a dense fog advisory for the region. According to the NWS update, visibility is expected to drop to a quarter mile or less in dense fog until 9 a.m. EDT this morning, affecting counties like Delaware, Eastern Chester, Eastern Montgomery, Lower Bucks, Philadelphia, Upper Bucks, Western Chester, and Western Montgomery, as reported on their website.
The coastal flood advisory signifies that up to half a foot of inundation above ground level is likely in low-lying areas near shorelines and tidal waterways until 7 a.m. EDT Thursday, focusing on regions such as Gloucester, Camden, and Northwestern Burlington in New Jersey, along with Delaware, Philadelphia, and Lower Bucks in Pennsylvania; these conditions suggest that some local roadways are vulnerable to flooding and there could be partial or full road closures, the obscured landscape, a result of the restless amalgamation of sky and earth, the horizon blurring under the weight of vaporous shrouds, demands caution from those who must navigate its uncertainty.
Looking ahead, today's forecast hints at the possibility of showers and thunderstorms after 2 p.m., with a high near 76 degrees and a chill calm wind; residents should stay weather-conscious with the 50% chance of precipitation bringing potential rainfall between a tenth and a quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible during thunderstorms. The NWS has predicted an unsettled pattern at least through Saturday with chances of showers and thunderstorms nearly each day, including likely showers and possibly a thunderstorm before 2 p.m. on Saturday, followed by clearer skies on Sunday.
Travelers in the Philadelphia area should consider additional time for their morning commute and exercise extra caution, the fog may obscure hazards suddenly, rendering familiar paths strange and unpredictable, and as always with weather advisories, it's important to be prepared for changing conditions, the NWS strongly advises against driving through barricaded roads or water of unknown depth so to protect flood-prone property.
