Updated: Irene Raining Out Area Events

Update at 4:16 p.m. on Aug. 26: 

Hurricane Irene is dampening a lot of weekend events in the Phoenixville area. 

Phoenixville Bike Day, scheduled downtown on Saturday, has been canceled, and there is no rain date. Additionally, a Phantoms Band car wash scheduled for tomorrow is postponed. Valley Forge Park will be closed on Sunday, Aug. 28, and church services at St. John's UCC are canceled for Sunday, according to the church's Facebook page. Church offices there will be closed Monday as well, to "access needs and/or damage to the building and immediate community."

The good news is a few events will go on. The at the expo center in Oaks is still a go, according to sources, and the  for tomorrow afternoon will still happen.

We could feel tropical storm conditions by Saturday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service.

Tropical storm force winds are expected to start late Saturday night with gusts up to 70 mph, according to The National Weather Service.

Heavy and record-setting rainfall is expected Saturday afternoon through Sunday evening, resulting in flash flooding. A flood watch is in effect for the entire Philadelphia area. Philadelphia and Delaware County are under a hurricane warning and a Tropical Storm warning is in effect for Chester, Montgomery and Bucks counties.

The National Weather Service expects Irene to bring minor to moderate damage to mobile homes. Possible siding and roof damage to other homes is also expected. They warn that loose outdoor items may be blown around and create additional damage.

PECO is preparing for downed power lines, but be prepared for outages. Chester County officials urged people not to call 911, but to instead report outages to PECO at 1-800-841-4141.

Update at 2 p.m. on Aug. 26: 

Gov. Tom Corbett declared a state of emergency throughout Pennsylvania.

An emergency declaration will enable local governments to better respond to Hurricane Irene and the damage she is expected to inflict upon the Philadelphia area.

 “We are urging all Pennsylvanians to take action now to be prepared,’’ Corbett said in a press release posted to the state’s website. “We will continue to monitor this changing situation statewide and plan for all possible emergencies. Should the need arise, we will be able to help as quickly and efficiently as possible.’’

Philadelphia and Delaware County are under a hurricane warning and Bucks, Chester and Montgomery counties are under a tropical storm warning.

The latest forecasts indicate the storm will hit its intensity here Saturday night and into Sunday with winds gusts of 60 mph or more. Irene is expected to dump up to 10 inches of rain on an already sodden Philadelphia area.

The National Weather Service and the Governor’s Office are warning residents that these conditions could lead to downed trees and utility wires, resulting in major power outages and flash flooding.

In addition, Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter said all SEPTA service will stop due to the impending storm. 

All SEPTA services will stop running at 12:30 a.m. Sunday because of Hurricane Irene.

An assistant to Mayor Michael Nutter, Luke Butler, first announced on Twitter that service will be suspended. Butler said this is the first time in history SEPTA has ceased all operations.

SEPTA said in a news release that service is not expected to resume "until at least midday Sunday." It will then be continued on a route by route basis. 

Any announcements that have to do with service resumptions will be posted on SEPTA's website and will be disseminated through Nutter's office.

"SEPTA strongly urges all customers who normally ride the system during this time period to make arrangements to go to your destination well in advance of the storm and be prepared to remain safely at that location until the storm has passed and service has resumed," the agency said in the release.

Update at 9:08 a.m. on Aug. 26: 

The National Weather Service has upgraded the local severe weather alerts from watches to warnings as Hurricane Irene heads north.

Philadelphia and Delaware County are under a hurricane warning and a Tropical Storm warning is in effect for Chester, Montgomery and Bucks counties.

A watch means that the weather condition is expected, but not imminent; while a warning means that the weather condition is imminent or occurring.

Irene is now a category 2 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 110 mph.

The National Weather Service is forecasting scattered showers and thunderstorms after 5 p.m. Friday and continuing through Saturday with tropical storm conditions possible starting Saturday night. Some storms could bring heavy rain and winds hitting up to 39 mph, according to the NWS. Tropical storm conditions could continue through Sunday with heavy rainfall possible and things slowing down toward the evening.

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The National Weather Service has issued a hurricane watch for Philadelphia and a Tropical Storm watch is in effect for Chester, Montgomery and Bucks counties.

A watch means that the weather condition is expected, but not imminent.

The local weather forecast calls for tropical storm conditions possible, starting Saturday night, with storms and the possibility of heavy rainfall. The conditions could last through Sunday.

Irene is still a Category 3 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 115 mph, according to NWS. The core of the hurricane is expected to move north along the northwestern Bahamas Thursday night.

Irene is getting larger, and the storm watches in the Carolinas have been upgraded to warnings.

NOAA has issued a hurricane warning for the entire coast of North Carolina, from Little River Inlet on the South Carolina border north to the Virginia border. A hurricane warning means tropical-storm-force winds are expected somewhere within the warning area within 36 hours. In the warning area, NOAA forecasts a storm surge of up to 10 feet and life-threatening waves.

NOAA has issued a tropical storm warning for South Carolina from Edisto Beach north to Little River Inlet on the North Carolina border. A tropical storm warning means tropical storm conditions are expected somewhere within the warning area within 36 hours.

A hurricane watch has been issued for the East Coast from the NC/Virginia border north to Sandy Hook, NJ. That includes Chesapeake Bay south of Smith Point. In the hurricane watch area, NOAA forecasts Irene could produce "significant storm surge flooding" (no numbers were offered).

A tropical storm watch has been issued for Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point north, as well as the Tidal Potomac.

The storm is also getting larger. Hurricane-force winds now extend up to 90 miles from the center (Thursday morning it was 70 miles), and tropical-storm-force winds extend up to 290 miles from the center (Thursday morning it was 255 miles). NOAA is reporting that Irene is producing swells that will cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions along portions of the East Coast. It did not specify which portions.