SEPTA to Suspend Service

All SEPTA services will stop running at 12:30 a.m. Sunday because of Hurricane Irene.

Regional rail service will stop even sooner. SEPTA says service will be suspended at approximately 5 p.m. Saturday on the following SEPTA Regional Rail lines:

• Wilmington/Newark
• Paoli/Thorndale
• Trenton
• Chestnut Hill West
• Airport

An assistant to Mayor Michael Nutter, Luke Butler, first announced on Twitter that service will be suspended. Butler said this is the first time in history SEPTA has ceased all operations.

SEPTA said in a news release that service is not expected to resume "until at least midday Sunday." It will then be continued on a route by route basis.

Any announcements that have to do with service resumptions will be posted on SEPTA's website.

"SEPTA strongly urges all customers who normally ride the system during this time period to make arrangements to go to your destination well in advance of the storm and be prepared to remain safely at that location until the storm has passed and service has resumed," the agency said in the release.

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett also declared a state of emergency Friday after New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware and other states had already done so.

An emergency declaration will enable local governments to better respond to Hurricane Irene and the damage it is expected to inflict upon the Philadelphia area.

“We are urging all Pennsylvanians to take action now to be prepared,’’ Corbett said in a news release posted to the state’s website. “We will continue to monitor this changing situation statewide and plan for all possible emergencies. Should the need arise, we will be able to help as quickly and efficiently as possible.’’

Philadelphia and Delaware County are under a hurricane warning and Bucks, Chester and Montgomery counties are under a tropical storm warning.

The latest forecasts indicate the storm will hit its intensity here Saturday night and into Sunday with winds gusts of 60 mph or more. Irene is expected to dump up to 10 inches of rain on an already sodden Philadelphia area.

The National Weather Service and the governor’s office are warning residents that these conditions could lead to downed trees and utility wires, resulting in major power outages and flash flooding.