Storm batters Northeast after downpours set records in mid-Atlantic

A rainfall record from 1930 was broken Wednesday in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

December 28, 2023, 9:15 AM

Much of the Northeast was soaked by heavy rainfall overnight and into Thursday morning, after daily records were set in several areas of Pennsylvania and Delaware on Wednesday.

The heavy rain overnight targeted Philadelphia, New York City and New Haven, Connecticut.

The bulk of the rain was moving fast enough that widespread flooding was not an issue, but pockets of torrential rain were leading to localized flash flooding.

Fog shrouds the skyline of lower Manhattan and One World Trade Center in New York City, Dec. 27, 2023.
Gary Hershorn/ABC News

Several cities in the mid-Atlantic saw daily records on Wednesday, including Allentown, Pennsylvania, which received about 2.05 inches of rain. That topped the previous record of 1.55 inches, which was set in 1930.

Two other Pennsylvania areas broke or tied their records on Wednesday. Mount Pocono’s rainfall hit 1.49 inches, beating the 1.39-inch record set in 2011. And Reading logged 1.4 inches, matching the record from 1930.

Wilmington, Delaware, also recorded a new daily rainfall record at 1.84 inches, besting a record of 1.76 inches in a single day in 1930.

As Thursday progresses, rain is expected to continue to hit New England from Massachusetts and Vermont to New Hampshire and Maine.

A graphic shows the weather forecast for Thursday, Dec. 28, 2023.
ABC News

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