Strong Storms Knock Out Power to Hundreds of Thousands

Violent storms whipped through the Philadelphia area last night, knocking out power to hundreds of thousands of customers. Winds gusted as high as 60 miles an hour.

PECO says 75,000 customers are still without power, down from a high of 204,000 around midnight.

It’ll take crews until the end of the week to restore power to all customers. Things could be worse: In Northwest Pennsylvania, tornado sightings were reported in Mercer County.

But things got really weird at PPL Park, as the Philadelphia Union played a U.S. Open Cup quarterfinal match against the New England Revolution (Philly won!). Weather delayed the game for an hour when a dust storm blew across the field. Here’s a GIF made from CBS 3 footage:

Terrifying! The storm did thwart the Revolution’s momentum for a comeback attempt, so perhaps all the power outages were worth it.

[Philly.com | NBC 10 | AP | CBS 3]