Flash flooding will be the main concern Friday, but the National Weather Service has also issued a tornado watch until 2 p.m.
By 9:30 a.m. Friday, PennDOT has temporarily reduced the speed limit to 55 mph on Interstate 80 between mile marker 210 in Union County and mile marker 97 in Clearfield County due to the severity of the storm.
PennDOT advised drivers to avoid traveling in inclement weather if possible. They will keep road conditions updated at 511pa.com.
Also as of 9:30 a.m., several roads in Lycoming, Union and Snyder counties are closed or have lane restrictions.
In Lycoming and Union County, drivers should avoid Route 44 between Masser Road in Gregg Twp. and Mill Road in Washington Twp, and Route 44 between Gap Road and Mill Road in Washington Twp.
In Union County, Col. John Kelly Road between Red Ridge Road and Beagle Road in Kelly Twp., Beaver Run Road between Buffalo Road and Cannon Road in Buffalo Twp., and Route 45 between Bear Run Road and Paddy Mountain Road in Hartley Twp. have all been impacted by the storm, according to updates from PennDOT.
North Washington Ave. from Columbia St. to Richmont St. in Scranton is closed to all traffic, including emergency services, according to a post by the City of Scranton.
UPDATE - 1:30 p.m.
PennDOT has restored speed limits on Interstate 80 and lifted a lane restriction on Interstate 80 westbound in Luzerne County.
Some roads in North Central PA remain closed due to downed trees and utilities. For real-time updates from PennDOT, check 511PA.com.
UPDATE - 3:15 p.m.
Roughly 80 people in Tioga County were evacuated from their homes this afternoon, according to Commissioner Shane Nickerson.
The National Guard was called out to help people trapped on roofs in the Westfield area. Shelters have been set up at Cowanesque High School in Westfield and North Penn-Liberty High School in Liberty Borough. The Tioga County Commissioners declared a state of emergency August 9.
PPL reported roughly 32,000 power outages across the area as of 2:55 p.m. Customers are encouraged to report outages online or by texting the word “outage” to TXTPPL.
The City of Scranton closed the flood gates along the Lackawanna River. The closures are at Parker St., Poplar St., Olive St., Albright Ave. and Sanserson Ave.
This is a developing story, check back for updates.
