Philadelphia area digs out from damage left by a severe series of
microburst storms
[July 13, 2026]
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — 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. |
This image taken from video shows a broken tree branch on a street,
Sunday, July 12, 2026 after a line of severe, short thunderstorms passed
through the city the day before in Philadelphia. (WPVI-TV/6ABC via AP) |
|
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.
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