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Philadelphia gets record one-day rainfall: 7.99 inches

PHILADELPHIA -- Heavy rain caused major flooding and traffic nightmares across the area Sunday and set an all-time record for one-day rainfall in Philadelphia.

A record all-time daily rainfall record of 7.99 inches fell at the Philadelphia International Airport, according to the National Weather Service. More than 7 inches fell during a 4-hour period. That breaks the all-time record for a single day of 6.63 inches set Sept. 16, 1999, during Tropical Storm Floyd. Records go back to 1872.

The airport experienced a power outage due to the weather. A spokesperson says Terminal A East lost power around 5 p.m. Power was restored around 9:45 p.m. Passengers experienced minor delays, according to spokesperson Vicki Lupica.

A flash flood warning was extended for Camden, Philadelphia, Delaware, Gloucester, New Castle and Salem counties until 10:45 p.m.

The heaviest rain moved through Gloucester City, Camden County, shortly after 3 p.m. Within a span of three hours about 7 inches of rain flooded the area.

At least eight cars were submerged in high water in the eastbound lane of I-76 at Kings Highway. Two people were left stranded in a car in the middle of the street. Authorities say both people were rescued. No injuries were reported.

Lightning strikes were also a problem for the area. Fire crews put out a minor fire at a home on the 100 block of North Brown Street after it was struck by lightning. No one was injured.

A driver was trapped on top of his roof under the Route 42 overpass. Two other cars were trapped in the water.

There was also major flooding along Route 130 in Pennsauken. Shore traffic combined with flooding rains made for major backups along the Atlantic City Expressway. There were reports of delays of up to two hours.

The on and off ramp from I-95 to Broad Street in Philadelphia was shut down around 4:30 p.m. due to major flooding. It was reopened just before 9 p.m.