Isaias forecast doubles Lower Merion rain estimate to 4 inches

Lower Merion could see up to 4 inches of rain Sunday, Oct. 11, as the remnants of Hurricane Isaias push into the Philadelphia region.

That forecast, from AccuWeather, doubles the 1-to-2-inch estimate in our Thursday, Oct. 8 coverage. The heaviest rainfall is expected to arrive in eastern Pennsylvania around 8 p.m. Sunday, according to Patch, with rain possibly continuing into early Monday, Oct. 12.

AccuWeather warned that flooding is the primary threat, particularly where the ground is already saturated from recent storms. The Weather Prediction Center has placed the Philadelphia region under a "marginal" risk for heavy rain.

Specific totals remain unclear. How much rain reaches the township will depend on the path Isaias's remnants take across the southern states Saturday, Oct. 10, before turning northeast toward the Appalachians.

Strong wind gusts are expected in the southeastern United States, with speeds up to 60 mph inland in the South. Forecasters said nothing approaching that severity is expected as far north as the mid-Atlantic. NWS meteorologist Paul Fitzsimmons said Oct. 7 that the agency expected no threat of high winds or tornadoes in the region, as we reported Thursday, Oct. 8.

The storm arrives in a township already battered by severe weather in 2026. Township Manager Ernie McNeely told commissioners at a September budget workshop that Lower Merion had spent $1.2 million more than budgeted on storm response this year, as Mainline Media News reported. That spending followed a July 11 microburst event that knocked out power to nearly 7,500 customers and blocked at least 55 township streets.

Lower Merion Commissioner Ray Courtney, who chairs the township's sustainability committee, put it bluntly in an August Philadelphia Inquirer article on aging stormwater infrastructure: "We get a 100-year storm every year."

Isaias itself set a record. AccuWeather Lead Hurricane Expert Alexander DaSilva said the storm is "the latest forming first hurricane in the Atlantic Basin, breaking the previous record set by Hurricane Four in 1905 by 3.5 hours."

Lower Merion sends storm alerts through its Blackboard Connect notification system. Residents can also monitor lowermerion.org and the township's X account (@LowerMerionTwp). To report a PECO power outage, call 1-800-841-4141 or text OUT to 697326.