Philadelphia Public & Parochial Schools Closed Thursday
A blizzard warning remains in effect as the region’s second major snowstorm in less than a week has shut down schools, cancels flights and shatters snowfall records.
The snow began falling in the Philadelphia region shortly before 8 p.m. and before it’s all over, some areas could see nearly two feet of snow. Despite an early morning lull, the snow picked up again in full force just before noon.
The National Weather Service has issued a blizzard warning until midnight as even more snow is expected to slam the region. Philadelphia has not been under a blizzard warning since the Blizzard of 1996.
A snow emergency went into effect for Philadelphia at 9 p.m. Tuesday evening. Mayor Michael A. Nutter activated the City’s Emergency Operations Center at 4:00 a.m. Wednesday in order to monitor the storm.
Philadelphia Public and Parochial Schools have already cancelled classes for Thursday.
Philadelphia International Airport ended most operations around 8 p.m. Tuesday and virtually no flights departed Wednesday.
On the ground, PennDOT crews found themselves back out on the roads before they had time to recover from the last storm. The state must treat and plow 96,000 snow lane miles — a task that requires an army of 5,400 workers and nearly 2,500 vehicles. PennDOT spokesman Steve Chizmar said plow shifts can run 12 to 16 hours.
Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter said most city offices were closed on Wednesday and the court system was mostly shut down.
At 1 p.m. SEPTA started to scale back bus service and by 5 p.m. it will be suspended completely. For a list of routes and schedules, visit http://www.septa.org/service/snow.html
After more than 28 inches fell in Philadelphia over the weekend, the National Weather Service is predicting anywhere from 18 to 24 more inches before the storm moves.
The Philadelphia region and its surrounding suburbs, as well as interior New Jersey and Delaware, are expected to see between 12 to 24 inches of snow. The Poconos and southern parts of New Jersey can expect between 6 to 12 inches.
This snow storm officially breaks the snowfall record, making 2009-2010 the snowiest season on record.
-CBS 3 Eyewitness News
