In Phoenixville, Chester County, the situation was far more serious. The rectory at St. Basil the Great Parish caught fire. Staff said a lightning strike caused the fire. In Douglassville, Berks County, a tree was uprooted and landed on a house, but as of Tuesday night, injuries weren't reported.

The National Weather Service has issued tornado warnings for parts of Philadelphia and the neighboring Pennsylvania counties as as potent thunderstorms moved into the region during peak commuting hours Tuesday afternoon.

Tuesday has been a hot and muggy one for the Philadelphia area with high temperatures in the 90s and the oppressive heat has given way to a round of scattered storms, some of which have turned severe in some places.