Montgomery County Under Tropical Storm Watch

The National Weather Service has issued a hurricane watch for Philadelphia and Delaware County 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.

Lower Merion Prepares

Lower Merion Township is closing all township pools and the on Sunday, Aug. 28, according to a release sent after the township’s Emergency Management Team convened Thursday afternoon.

The Lower Merion Library System, along with the Montgomery County Library and Information Consortium (MCLINC), are planning to shut down services as early as 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 27 in order to protect network equipment, according to the release. This includes the shutdown of the online catalog, which will remain unavailable until Monday, Aug. 29. MCLINC may schedule the shutdown earlier depending on weather conditions, and this schedule could also be updated if conditions or forecasts change.

Lower Merion is asking that residents store and outdoor items—including patio furniture, trash cans and other items—as a precaution.  The release encourages residents to prepare household emergency kits that include a flashlight, battery operated radio, water and any medications you and your family may need for the next few days. The Red Cross of Southeastern Pennsylvania also .

Lower Merion advises residents to check the township website at lowermerion.org for updates throughout the course of the impending storm, and that residents sign up for the township notification system and the Ready Notify PA Alert System if they are not already.

LMTV will begin running emergency information beginning Friday, Aug. 26. This is Channel 7 for Comcast subscribers and Channel 37 for those with Verizon.

If you experience an emergency, call 9-1-1 or 610-642-4200.

In a separate release, Lower Merion Township announced the docks at  will .

The storm could further swell a river filled with above-average amounts of rain this month. When the storm passes and the river level stabilizes, the docks should be restored, according to the announcement via the township website.