Yesterday in Philly: Wild Weather, Bridge Closures, and a Darius Slay Goodbye
Weather Gets Weird, Fast
If you got caught in yesterday’s wind tunnel or checked your phone for tornado alerts—trust, it wasn’t just you. The National Weather Service dropped a rare (for March) tornado watch on Philly and the ‘burbs, sending schools scrambling for early dismissals (details). Strong winds and heavy rain caused hundreds of flight delays and cancellations at PHL. More rain could hit today; watch those flooded streets.
Transit + Streets
Not a great day for Northeast Philly drivers: the Frankford Avenue Bridge is closing for at least a year for a $10M rehab. Detours are up now; if you use it, add time—or take the long way until 2027. One lighter note: PennDOT actually fixed a mega pothole on Broad Street quick (seriously), maybe City Hall’s new pressure is working?
Elsewhere, a dog needed rescuing from a support beam three stories over the Market-Frankford Line. Dog’s safe, SEPTA ran late.
Sports: One In, One Out
Eagles fan-fave Darius Slay is retiring after 13 NFL seasons (yes, it’s for real), leaving a big hole in the Birds’ secondary. Meanwhile, the City of Brotherly Love is still NCAA central: Penn, Villanova, Lehigh, and Princeton all made the March Madness field (bracket here). Sixers—solid win last night (recap), but the Flyers are hanging on for dear life in the playoff race (full standings).
City Stuff
Big summer ahead: Queen Latifah, Idina Menzel, Eve, and more are headlining Wawa Welcome America for Philly’s 250th birthday bash in July (full lineup). Pope Leo XIV will get the Liberty Medal and give a speech at the National Constitution Center.
Meanwhile, if you’re passing through Manayunk: that Platform restaurant keeps taking hits from vandals (owner’s legit worried), and Philly’s libraries finally may get more money for heat/AC fixes in Mayor Parker’s new budget (here’s what to know).
Odds & Ends
- 250 new cherry blossom trees are blooming early, just in time for the festival.
- Earth Month park events, from 5Ks to paddle boating, are on deck (schedule here).
- Good news for stoners? Dr. Mike weighs in on weed safety.
That’s the gist. Stay dry, watch out for branches, and check the detours.
