Heavy rains flood roadways, knock out power in Pa.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — More than 24 hours of rain and windy weather hammered much of central and eastern Pennsylvania, swelling creeks and rivers over their banks and leaving standing water on some roadways that prompted some school districts to shut down Friday.

As of rush hour this morning, rainfall totals ranged from 5 inches in Philadelphia to 10 1/2 inches in Graterford, in the city’s western suburbs, according to the National Weather Service.

School districts in an area stretching from the state’s southeastern corner to the Pocono Mountains opened late or closed entirely today in response to the storm.

Thousands of customers across the state were without power Friday morning. Peco reported under 10,000 without service in the Philadelphia area on Friday morning, down from about 16,000 overnight. PPL Corp. had a couple thousand outages scattered across the eastern half of the state. Peco spokesman Ben Armstrong said flooded roads are making it hard for work crews to get around.

A power outage at a Montgomery County senior center prompted the American Red Cross to evacuated residents to a nearby high school overnight Thursday into Friday.

More flooding is anticipated today. Flood watches remain in effect for much of the state and by early Friday the Schyulkill River had risen over its banks in the Philadelphia neighborhood of East Falls and upstream in the borough of Conshohocken. The National Weather Service expects the Schuylkill to end up three feet over flood stage around noon Friday in Reading.

Gov. Ed Rendell opened the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency’s emergency operations center Thursday afternoon in anticipation of flooding problems. He also put the Pennsylvania National Guard on standby for central and eastern Pennsylvania.

Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter opened a pair of emergency shelters and asked residents not to drive unless necessary. He asked residents in flood-prone areas to consider staying with friends or relatives who live on higher ground.

Heavy downpours on Thursday stranded motorists in Lancaster County and forecasters warned of the danger of flash flooding.