Govind Tekale
Powerful storms tore through the Philadelphia region on Thursday evening, June 19, 2025, leaving nearly 300,000 PECO customers without power and causing widespread damage from fallen trees and strong winds.
The fast-moving storm system brought wind gusts exceeding 55 mph, with a 56 mph gust recorded in Coatesville. These high winds knocked down entire trees and power poles, not just branches, according to PECO spokesperson Ben Armstrong.
“Really extensive damage, and that’s why we’ve suspended the estimated restoration times,” said PECO spokesperson Greg Smore, noting the damage across the region. PECO has suspended estimated restoration times due to the severity of the outages.
The storm’s impact was felt most heavily in Pennsylvania counties. Bucks County was particularly hard-hit with over 71,000 customers affected, representing nearly 31% of its customer base. Delaware and Montgomery counties also saw significant outages with over 70,000 and 68,000 affected customers respectively.
The severe weather prompted tornado warnings for Chester County and Delaware County in Pennsylvania and New Castle County in Delaware. Though the warnings were canceled shortly before 5:30 p.m., the storms still caused significant damage.
Several injuries were reported. In Philadelphia’s East Oak Lane section, a teen boy was injured by a falling tree on the 6400 block of North 11th Street. Neighbors rushed to help.
“Immediately, the first thing me, my brother and cousin did was run over there with no questions asked. We went over there and tried to lift the tree. It was very heavy,” recalled Lakye Powell, a resident of East Oak Lane.
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In Upper Darby, a woman was pinned by a massive tree that fell on her home on Bond Avenue. Upper Darby Fire Department Deputy Chief Dennis Gallagher reported she was “fortunately conscious and alert” when rescued.
The storm’s fury wasn’t limited to homes. Strong winds overturned a small, unoccupied plane at Northeast Philadelphia Airport. In Bala Cynwyd, the roof at One Bala Plaza, home to rock station 93.3 WMMR, was damaged, with debris scattered across the parking lot and at least one car damaged.
The storm struck after a day of intense heat, with temperatures reaching 91 degrees and a heat index (“feels like” temperature) of 98 degrees due to high humidity. The storm’s arrival knocked about 20 degrees off the temperature at Philadelphia International Airport.
While the storm has passed, PECO reminds residents to stay away from downed power lines and to report them immediately by calling 1-800-841-4141.
Friday will bring welcome relief with dry, comfortable conditions and highs in the mid-80s. However, forecasters warn this reprieve will be short-lived. A potentially long-duration heat wave is expected to begin over the weekend, with temperatures hitting 90 degrees on Saturday and pushing even higher Sunday.
Next week could see temperatures approach 100 degrees, a mark Philadelphia hasn’t reached since 2012 – the longest stretch without 100-degree readings in the city since the early 1900s.
The approaching heat wave is predicted to last throughout next week, with “feels like” temperatures potentially exceeding 100-110°F by Monday.
For now, residents are focused on recovery as crews work to clear downed trees, repair power lines, and restore electricity to the hundreds of thousands affected by Thursday’s powerful storm.
