Severe storms, flash flooding snarl travel along I-95 corridor from Washington to Philadelphia

NOAA's Storm Prediction Center issued a Severe Thunderstorm Watch for Tuesday afternoon and evening, covering much of the heavily populated Interstate 95 corridor from New Jersey through Virginia.

A sweeping cold front made for an active Tuesday along the Northeast's Interstate 95 corridor, spawning numerous showers and thunderstorms, and disrupting travel for millions. 

The front will eventually stall along the Southeast coast, where it becomes more of a tropical threat down the line, the FOX Forecast Center said.

The line of storms up and down the East Coast dampened travel as many are flying out or hitting the road for the holiday weekend. Tuesday's storms caused delays and headaches at most major airport hubs.

Ground stops were in place for hours for airports in Philadelphia, Washington D.C. and New York City, according to FlightAware. Several flights were reported as delayed or canceled at New York's LaGuardia Airport.

Heavy rains also triggered flash flooding around Philadelphia, Reading, Baltimore and Washington, D.C., snarling rush hour traffic. Highway lanes were blocked by standing water along Philadelphia's Schuykill Parkway and along Interstate 270 north of Washington.

Baltimore's emergency manager told the National Weather Service there were numerous flooded cars in Fells Point and multiple roads were blocked.

Near Reading, storm spotters reported multiple instances of cars trapped in feet of floodwaters. In addition, thunderstorms brought damaging wind gusts near 60 mph that toppled trees onto homes and cars. One tree fell into a home in Oley Furnace, Pennsylvania, trapping some inside the home, the NWS said.

Video from Tuesday afternoon showed cars driving through several inches of floodwater in the streets of northeastern Philadelphia. 

In the MLB, both the Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Mets postponed their games on Tuesday evening, citing weather concerns.  Both will play double headers on Wednesday to make up the game.

Flash Flood Emergency wreaks havoc in Pennsylvania Monday

On Monday, flash flooding was a huge problem in areas across the Northeast. In Lancaster and Lebanon counties in Pennsylvania, a Flash Flood Emergency was issued about 10:45 p.m. Monday. Local law enforcement reported several water rescues as 4-5 inches of rain was reported. 

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Lancaster recorded 3.62 inches of rain on Monday, making it the city's 10th-wettest day on record and its eighth-wettest June day. 

In addition to the flash flooding, severe storms moved through parts of the Northeast, bringing damaging wind gusts, small hail, lightning strikes to buildings and even a brief tornado. In Sussex County, Delaware, the National Weather Service in Mount Holly, New Jersey, confirmed that a brief, weak tornado swept through, causing some minor tree damage. 

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This marks the first tornado reported in Delaware during June since 2017. The First State averages zero tornadoes in the month of June.

By Wednesday, the cold front will be moving out, and all storm activity will be over for the bulk of the East Coast. The rest of the week looks to have little to no problems.

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