PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The snow that’s been on the ground for weeks in the Philadelphia region is finally starting to melt, but a lot more snow is coming in the forecast for this weekend.
On Saturday, the National Weather Service in Mount Holly, New Jersey major snow accumulation is likely, with the heaviest snow to begin falling late Sunday night into Monday morning. Blizzard warnings are in effect for the Jersey Shore and Delaware coastal communities. Winter Storm warnings are in effect for the rest of the region, including Philadelphia and its surrounding collar counties.
Snow accumulations have also risen drastically, according to the NWS. Its latest projections show potential snow accumulation between 12 to 18 inches. That's more than the previous snowstorm this season, which brought close to 10 inches of snow. Parts of the Jersey Shore are projected to get as much as 20 inches of snow.
Meteorologists were watching to see if the system moves south or hugs the coast. The latter meant the storm would have less of an impact on the Philadelphia region, but the system moved south and we're going to see significant snowfall.
Rain was in the forecast for the Philadelphia area leading up to the weekend, but the Poconos and other areas north of the city could saw some snow and freezing rain.
Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker announced a snow emergency in the city that will begin at 4 p.m. on Sunday. City government offices and courts will be closed on Monday, Feb. 23. Parker said at the peak of the storm, over 1,000 personnel and 800 pieces of equipment would be deployed citywide to help clear the snow.
“We will do whatever it takes, however long it takes, to ensure that we have cleared our streets and we are keeping Philadelphians safe,” Parker said at a Saturday evening press conference.
The School District of Philadelphia also announced that buildings will be closed on Monday, but school is not canceled. Instead, students will have a virtual learning day.
New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill declared a state of emergency on Saturday ahead of the storm, and said the state is expecting between 10 and 20 inches. The governor said wind gusts will also be higher during this storm compared to the last storm.
"This storm faces more risks than the last one because of the blizzard conditions and high winds," Sherrill said during a Saturday afternoon press conference. "We're getting a lot of snow and extremely high winds."
Sherrill encouraged residents to stay off the roads during the duration of the storm on Sunday evening into Monday morning.
In Atlantic City, Mayor Marty Small said residents need to take this coming storm "seriously." He declared a state of emergency in the city ahead of the storm.
"These will be blizzard-like conditions," Small said in a press conference Saturday morning. "This will be a battle."
Small said municipal buildings in Atlantic City will be closed Monday. He also urged people living in low-lying areas to move their cars to higher ground, as there are parking restrictions now in place. They were also told to stay off the roads for the extent of the storm. Residents are urged to sign up for alerts from the city through its AC Alerts system.
Preparing for the heavy snowfall, Department of Transportation crews in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware have learned to be adaptable.
"We are flexible, we are going to adapt to any weather changes, so we are going to call out all of our state forces on Sunday into Monday. We'll use some contractor trucks in each of the counties, about 275 contractor trucks we can dip into depending on the intensity of the storm," said PennDOT's Brad Rudolph.
He said 60,000 tons of salt is stockpiled across the 5-county region.
On Saturday, as the snow totals rose, Rudolph said a commercial vehicle restriction on roads will begin at 3 p.m. on Sunday. That means vehicles including motorcycles, RVs, and coach buses are not allowed on the road.
"We're gonna concentrate on keeping those roads passable," he said. "We do advise that people, you know, sit this storm out."
Rudolph said over 400 state and contractor trucks will be on the roads around the clock during the duration of the storm.
PHL spokesperson Heather Redfern said winter weather in other parts of the country could impact flights here, so remember to always check with your airline before heading out to the airport.
In Montgomery County, the Borough of North Wales declared a snow emergency, effective Saturday at 8 p.m. Parking restrictions will be enforced along snow emergency routes on Main and Walnut streets, and bicycle riding is banned within the borough during the emergency.