swept through parts of Montgomery County on Wednesday evening<\/a>, toppling trees and power lines and leaving thousands of residents without electricity.<\/p>\nThe storm moved through the Philadelphia region around rush hour, bringing lightning, gusting winds and reports of pebble-sized hail in areas including Malvern in Chester County and Wilmington, Delaware.<\/p>\n
The severe weather caused widespread damage and left many communities facing cleanup efforts.<\/p>\n
In Pottstown, fallen trees were a common sight.<\/p>\n
“Every block, there’s gigantic trees down,” said resident Andrew Quintois.<\/p>\n
Quintois was walking along Prospect Street on Thursday, where damage from the storm was clearly visible, as he assessed why his home had lost power.<\/p>\n
“My wife and I both work from home, so we have to figure out how to get online,” he said.<\/p>\n
The storm knocked out power to thousands across the region. According to PECO, about 37,000 customers were without electricity at the height of the storm.<\/p>\n
That number dropped to around 2,000 by Thursday afternoon as utility crews continued working to restore service and respond to damage reports.<\/p>\n
Officials said the storm followed a stretch of hot weather, conditions that can lead to sudden severe storms.<\/p>\n
“We do know that when heat comes, typically at the end of that heat stretch, you can see pop-up thunderstorms like we did last night,” said Matt Rankin, a senior communications specialist with PECO.<\/p>\n
Damage reports included a tree falling onto a home on Mervine Street in Pottstown and another tree igniting after it came down on power lines along Waterloo Road in Berwyn.<\/p>\n
Utility officials urged residents to stay cautious around storm damage.<\/p>\n
“Stay away from downed power lines or equipment that’s damaged. If they see it, they should assume that it’s energized and therefore dangerous,” Rankin said.<\/p>\n
In Lower Pottsgrove Township, residents also dealt with significant impacts. Anne Gorski said she discovered the extent of the damage after the storm passed.<\/p>\n
“Came outside afterwards and saw this lovely destruction of trees,” she said.<\/p>\n
A large tree fell in Gorski’s yard, bringing down a utility pole and power lines. She said her household was prepared for an extended outage.<\/p>\n
“Driving around, we had to pick up a generator last night because we anticipate a couple days of this,” Gorski said.<\/p>\n
Despite the widespread damage, some residents said they were relieved the storm did not cause more serious harm to homes.<\/p>\n
“Damage to the houses is very minimal, so it’s just an inconvenience,” said Lower Pottsgrove Township resident Gary Frisoli.<\/p>\n
Crews continue working to restore power and clear debris as communities recover from the storm’s impact.
<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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