Community Corner
LIVE BLOG: Irene Careens Into Region
Stay on this page for up to the minute reports on the storm's progress as reported by Patch's team of Montgomery County editors and correspondents.
Use our live chat (above) to share your own observations and photos of the storm.
Check out our LIVE WEATHER FEED here.
Update 11:29 p.m.: Power reported to be out in some parts of Spring City, flickering in some parts of Royersford. No word out of Limerick - things seem to be okay.
Find out what's happening in Norristownwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Update 10:25 p.m.: The National Weather Service has added Montgomery County to the tornado warning. The warning is now in effect until 10:53 p.m.
Update 10:18 p.m.: The National Weather Service has issued a tornado warning for central Chester and southwestern Delaware Counties until 10:45 p.m. You are advised to seek shelter on the lowest floor of wherever you may be staying and stay away from windows. If you are in a mobile home or vehicle, evacuate immediately and find the nearest .
Find out what's happening in Norristownwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Update 8:07 p.m.: Abington Fire Marshal Ken Clark said no residents have reported flooding — but added that the worst weather will happen between 6 and 7 a.m. Sunday.
Clark said a tree downed some wires on Washington Lane; a tree fell on a house — which had a “for sale” sign on it — on Rockledge Avenue near Shady Lane; and a tree branch fell on a transformer on Paper Mill Road near Meadowbrook Road.
Every fire company in the township is manned, Clark said.
Update 7:35pm: Lansdale area residents may want to visit editor Tony DiDomizio's extra-local coverage of Irene as it effects the Lansdale and Montgomery Township area. .
Update 7:11pm: Upper Moreland Township says that Cheltenham High School is the area's evacuation center for anyone who is forced out of their home. It will open at 8:00pm tonight.
Update 6:33pm: Patch field correspondent Keith Heffintrayer reports water pooling in areas of low elevation around many major county roads.
Update 6:30pm: Montgomery County's Public Safety Department has established a hotline for residents to call "with questions about what is happening in their area" during the storm. Dial 610-631-9700.
Update 5:15pm: As of 5:00pm, the National Weather Service reports Irene 50 miles south-southeast of Norfolk, VA with maximum sustained winds of 80 mph. If winds fall below 75 mph, it will be downgraded to a tropical storm. The storm is moving north-northeast at 13 mph.
Update 4:50pm: The National Weather Service has called tomorrow's expected major flood stage of the Perkiomen Creek a "100 year flood" according to the tables used by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Flood warnings have also been issued for the Schuylkill River at Pottstown and Norristown.
Update 3:43pm: Perkiomen Fire Chief John Moran advises drivers: "Don’t go through the water. (You) have no idea how much force that water has, even at shallow levels."
Update 2:46pm: Giant supermarkets in the area plan to remain open and stay stocked, come what may.
Update 2:37pm: The National Weather Service predicts that the Perkiomen Creek will reach flood stage around 7:00am Sunday, and major flood stage early tomorrow afternoon, cresting at 16.5 feet.
The outer bands of Hurricane Irene have begun to lap against the southern reaches of the Delaware Valley.
As the storm continues north, Patch will keep you updated here on the Irene's local effects in the Montgomery County area. Our local editors and field correspondents are standing by to bring you information on flooding, road closures, and storm damage.
The National Weather Service's last update on the storm, posted at 11:00am, shows Irene as a Category 1 hurricane with sustained winds of 85 mph, moving north-northeast at about 15 mph.
The hurricane briefly regained Category 2 status late last night after its initial downgrade to a Category 1 storm yesterday evening, but then weakened again overnight.
