Winter readiness event · 10% off winter essentialsUse WINTER10 through Dec 31, 2026 →
localprepperHOME EMERGENCY ESSENTIALS
AccountBag
CITY GUIDES/PENNSYLVANIA/PHILADELPHIA

PHILADELPHIA EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS GUIDE

Prepare for emergencies
in Philadelphia.

Prepare for river and street flooding, summer heat, winter storms and power outages. Explore local weather charts, SEPTA alerts and practical tools for your household.

Philadelphia County · Pennsylvania

Build my household plan →Find evacuation resources →
Philadelphia skyline
PHILADELPHIA COUNTYPhiladelphia,
Pennsylvania
A view of Philadelphia. Historical city photograph; see source credit for the original date.
Photo: King of Hearts · credit and license

This guide covers the City and County of Philadelphia. Airport climate averages are historical station measurements; rowhouse blocks, riverfront neighborhoods and the airport can experience different conditions. Historical data and planning tools; check official sources for current conditions.

View sources ↗

CHOOSE A STARTING POINT

What do you need to prepare?

Plan for evacuationFind zone lookup, transport, and assistance resources.Review your options →Prepare your householdCalculate water, make a checklist, and save your plan.Build your plan →Understand the seasonsRain throughout the year, hot summer days and winter travel disruptions.Explore local weather →
All sections ↑My household plan →

01 / UNDERSTAND LOCAL RISKS

Philadelphia weather by month

Compare temperatures, rain and hot days throughout the year before choosing when to prepare.

Philadelphia International Airport · NOAA 1991–2020

Monthly averages, not a forecast. Rainfall includes the water equivalent of precipitation. Days reaching 90°F are not heat-index days.

Read all monthly values
MonthHigh °FLow °FRain inchesDays ≥90°F
January41.3263.130
February44.327.52.750
March52.834.33.960
April64.744.33.470.2
May74.454.23.341.7
June83.263.94.045.8
July87.869.64.3812.5
August85.867.94.297.5
September78.960.94.41.9
October67.249.23.470
November55.938.82.910
December4631.23.970

Rain in every season

The airport normals show precipitation throughout the year. A monthly average cannot tell you whether a particular basement or street will flood.

Summer heat

July’s average daily high is 87.8°F at the airport. A warm upstairs room may remain uncomfortable after sunset; choose a cooling destination before an outage.

Winter travel

Cold weather can affect sidewalks, driving and transit at the same time. Check the forecast and SEPTA before leaving, even on a familiar trip.

Download the station data ↗

02 / UNDERSTAND LOCAL RISKS

Plan around rivers, creeks and basement flooding

The city identifies flooding as its top hazard. Include the route out of your home, not just the supplies inside it.

Philadelphia skyline and the Delaware River viewed from the Camden waterfront
A local view of Philadelphia. Landscape context, not a photograph of an active emergency.Photo: Bronzeage10 · CC BY 4.0

Check the places you use

Review flood information for home, work and the routes between them. Pay attention to low streets, underpasses and places near the Schuylkill, Delaware and smaller waterways.

Keep essentials above the basement

Store documents, chargers and the portable bag where you can reach them without entering a basement that is taking on water.

Choose a dry alternate route

Plan a second way to higher ground. Do not drive or walk through floodwater, enter an underpass that is flooding, or go around a closure.

Read the city’s flood guide ↗ · Review floodwater safety ↗

This guide does not determine your building’s flood risk. A dry street yesterday or a location outside a mapped flood zone does not guarantee safety during heavy rain.

03 / UNDERSTAND LOCAL RISKS

Choose a cooling destination you can reach

A rowhouse, upstairs apartment or home without working cooling needs a plan for hot nights as well as hot afternoons.

Use the city’s heat emergency page to find cooling resources and check which services are operating. Cooling locations and extended hours depend on current conditions; confirm before traveling.

Write down two options

Choose an accessible air-conditioned destination and a backup. Include transport, opening hours and whether pets can come.

Check on nearby people

Agree who will contact a relative or neighbor during an outage. Make the arrangement before phones or elevators stop working.

Keep the trip practical

Carry water and a charged phone. If your trip depends on SEPTA or an elevator, check those services before heading out.

Find current city heat resources ↗

04 / UNDERSTAND LOCAL RISKS

Prepare for snow routes and heating interruptions

A snow emergency can change where you park and how you travel. Save the city’s instructions before a storm.

During a declared snow emergency, vehicles on designated snow emergency routes must be moved so crews can clear them. Check the city’s winter page and current announcements for the routes and instructions that apply.

Keep a light, warm layers and food that does not require cooking where you can find them in the dark. Arrange somewhere warm to go if the home cannot remain safely heated. Never use an oven or grill as an indoor heater.

Review winter and snow emergency guidance ↗

05 / UNDERSTAND LOCAL RISKS

Build a backup for your SEPTA trip

A working route is only part of the trip: the stop, station entrance and elevator also need to be usable.

Bookmark SEPTA’s alerts page for the routes you actually ride. Check elevator notices if stairs are not an option. Write down a backup ride and a destination close enough to reach safely if service stops.

If a household member needs evacuation assistance, discuss transport before a warning. A normal bus route or paratransit booking is not a guarantee of emergency evacuation service.

Check SEPTA alerts and elevator notices ↗

06 / UNDERSTAND LOCAL RISKS

Decide where to go—and when to stay inside

Different emergencies require different actions. Follow ReadyPhiladelphia and emergency personnel for the incident affecting your location.

Choose a meeting place near home and another outside the neighborhood. Pack essential documents, personal supplies, medication information and pet needs in a bag you can carry. Ask your building manager about stairs, exits and assistance during elevator outages.

A flood evacuation and a shelter-in-place instruction are different. Follow the city’s current direction; do not travel to a shelter location from an old announcement without checking that it is open.

Read the city’s stay-or-go guidance ↗

07 / BUILD YOUR EMERGENCY PLAN

Build your Philadelphia household plan

Choose your household size, supply duration and housing type. Save a checklist and download local contacts with your plan.

Water bottles, first-aid kit, flashlight, radio and other supplies laid out on a table
Lay out your supplies before using the checklist below. Illustrative supplies, not a complete emergency kit.Photo: Roger Brown · Pexels license
  1. 1Enter household details
  2. 2Review water and tasks
  3. 3Download your plan

STARTING WATER RESERVE

14gallons

2 people × 7 days × 1 gallon per day

For people only; add pet and individual needs.

Your household checklist

0 of 6 complete

Tracks these tasks only, not a safety score. Choices stay in this browser.

Saved only on this device

The seven-day setting is a planning scenario. Start with at least one gallon of water per person per day; increase it for heat, pets and individual needs. Read water-storage guidance ↗

Keep a portable bag separate from your home reserve. Add medication instructions, accessibility needs and meeting places to the downloaded worksheet. The checklist tracks tasks you mark; it does not measure whether your home is safe.

08 / BUILD YOUR EMERGENCY PLAN

A monthly Philadelphia preparation checklist

Choose a month for three practical tasks. These are suggested reminders, not a forecast or a restriction on when hazards can happen.

    Read the full year’s checklist

    January — Prepare for winter travel

    • Save SEPTA route and elevator alerts.
    • Check your home’s heating backup destination.
    • Keep a light and warm layers accessible.

    February — Review snow emergency routes

    • Check where you would move a parked vehicle.
    • Plan an alternate ride for an essential trip.
    • Replace supplies used during winter outages.

    March — Check basement storage

    • Move essential records and portable supplies above basement level.
    • Review flood information for your street.
    • Save a route to higher ground.

    April — Practice the household plan

    • Test ReadyPhiladelphia contact details.
    • Agree on two meeting places.
    • Check stair access with your building manager.

    May — Prepare for hot weather

    • Choose two cooling destinations.
    • Arrange a ride if needed.
    • Check cooling equipment before hotter weather.

    June — Confirm cooling access

    • Check current city cooling resources.
    • Make a neighbor check-in arrangement.
    • Charge lights and small-device batteries.

    July — Review the hot-night plan

    • Confirm where you could stay if home cooling fails.
    • Check pet policies before going.
    • Save SEPTA changes affecting your route.

    August — Refresh the portable bag

    • Update medication information and contacts.
    • Check food and water storage dates.
    • Practice carrying the bag down stairs.

    September — Review flood routes

    • Check low routes near rivers and creeks.
    • Keep documents out of basement storage.
    • Check alerts before a heavy-rain forecast.

    October — Prepare for heating season

    • Arrange heating maintenance if needed.
    • Test smoke and carbon-monoxide alarms.
    • Confirm a warm backup destination.

    November — Prepare for early winter storms

    • Check warm clothing and lights.
    • Save snow emergency instructions.
    • Review rides for household members needing help.

    December — Update the paper plan

    • Check phone numbers and addresses.
    • Review SEPTA holiday and weather changes.
    • Download an updated household checklist.

    09 / USE THE TOOLS

    Estimate battery runtime for your devices

    Use the power label on each device. This calculator estimates energy use; it does not check electrical compatibility.

    A switched-on flashlight resting on a surface
    Include battery-powered lighting in your outage plan. Use the calculator below for devices you would power from a battery station.Photo: Steve A Johnson · Pexels license
    1. 1Select devices
    2. 2Adjust watts and daily hours
    3. 3Enter battery capacity
    Editable example device loads
    UseDeviceWattsHours/day

    Watts × hours gives daily watt-hours. Battery capacity × usable percentage gives estimated usable energy. Actual runtime also depends on starting surges, inverter limits, battery condition and temperature.

    A small battery may charge phones or lights, but it is not a household heating or cooling plan. Arrange a suitable place to go if your home becomes unsafe. For medical equipment, confirm backup requirements with the equipment provider.

    10 / USE THE TOOLS

    Estimate Philadelphia solar output by month

    Compare the seasons before relying on a portable panel for backup charging.

    NASA POWER · 2001–2025

    The estimate uses monthly average sunlight on a horizontal surface: panel watts × daily irradiation × the percentage retained after losses. It is an approximate daily energy budget, not guaranteed output during a storm.

    Shade, nearby buildings, panel angle, temperature and charging limits change the result. Check that the panel and battery are compatible. View the underlying NASA grid data ↗

    11 / BUILD YOUR EMERGENCY PLAN

    Set up Philadelphia emergency alerts

    Use local alerts and a second information source. Test reception and batteries before you need them.

    Sign up for local alerts ↗

    Philadelphia County · SAME county code042101

    Keep the leading zero.

    NOAA WEATHER RADIO162.475 MHz

    KIH28 · Verify reception where you will use the radio. Radio setup source ↗

    SAME filters county alerts on compatible receivers. A basic weather-band radio may only play broadcasts when switched on. Check the model before relying on automatic warnings; the county code does not identify your evacuation zone.

    12 / BUILD YOUR EMERGENCY PLAN

    Save these Philadelphia contacts

    Put these links and numbers in your phone and keep a paper copy. Check your utility bill to confirm the correct provider.

    Emergency

    Call 911 for immediate danger.

    City services

    Call 311 for non-emergency city services.

    13 / UNDERSTAND LOCAL RISKS

    Local events worth planning for

    These examples show how different emergencies affect everyday life. They are not a forecast or an estimate of your address’s risk.

    2021

    Ida flooding

    In September 2021, Ida’s remnants caused major flooding along city waterways, including the Schuylkill and Pennypack Creek. Planning lesson: keep an alternate route and essentials outside basement storage. Read the city’s recovery summary ↗

    14 / BUILD YOUR EMERGENCY PLAN

    Shop this guide

    Supplies selected for Philadelphia’s local risks and the plans on this page. Start with what you already own.

    These are individual products, not a complete emergency kit. Compare capacity, fit and household needs before buying. Cards show the current store catalog; confirm options and availability on the product page.

    Browse all emergency supplies →

    Store drinking water for household service interruptions. The 3.2-gallon container is one part of the reserve calculated for your household.

    Keep a hands-free light available for dark rowhouse stairs or apartment hallways during an outage.

    Add compact emergency blankets to a winter travel bag. They are supplementary protection, not a replacement for warm clothing or a heated destination.

    Keep phones and small devices charged when checking SEPTA and city alerts. This 155Wh battery does not power household heating or air conditioning.

    Keep paper contacts and essential document copies together above basement level. The carry bag has no verified flood-protection rating.

    Check refrigerator and freezer temperatures after an outage; follow official food-safety guidance before keeping perishables.

    SOURCES AND COVERAGE

    Where the Philadelphia information comes from

    Independent Local Prepper guide. Sources reviewed November 2026. City, county, airport, and regional data are labeled separately. No address-level safety assessment or live alert feed is provided.

    Browse all sources and their coverage

    Photo: Philadelphia from South Street Bridge July 2016 panorama 2.jpg by King of Hearts, 2016-07-23. CC BY-SA 3.0. Display cropped.

    Browse all city guides →