Another round of snow hits Philadelphia region, as winter makes up for lost time

PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — After nearly two years with no significant snow, the Philadelphia region found itself bracing for two major storms in one week. The National Weather Service on Thursday issued a winter storm warning, in effect from 4 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday, calling for heavy snow, with potential accumulation of 3 inches to 6 inches for the region.

In response, the School District of Philadelphia announced that all district schools, early childhood centers and central offices will be closed on Friday, with all after-school activities, athletic programs and professional development sessions canceled as well. According to the district, this is the one snow day budgeted for the year. Going forward, any weather-related school closures will be remote learning days.

All schools in the Philadelphia Archdiocese had a remote learning day on Friday. Many other public schools in the area announced closures, as well.

Get a full listing of school closings

For people in the region who do not get a snow day, the weather is likely to make for a messy commute. The City of Philadelphia declared a snow emergency, starting at 7 a.m. All parked cars must be moved off snow emergency routes by then.

The Philadelphia Parking Authority is offering $5 parking in its lots in Center City all day.

Residents must clear a path on sidewalks at least 36 inches wide within six hours after the storm ends. You could be fined if you don’t.

In a Thursday evening announcement, city leaders asked for people to stay off the roads if they can, to give crews room to clear them off.

“Our goal is to make these roads as passable as possible and return the city back to normal operations as quickly as possible,” said Carlton Williams, director of the city’s Office of Clean and Green Initiatives.

So be warned, there may still be ice on the roads.

SEPTA started the day on a normal schedule, but riders should expect delays and detours.

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PennDOT spokesperson Krys Johnson says crews are ready with 131,000 tons of salt to distribute on roads across Philadelphia and the five-county region. In addition, says Johnson, “We have 180, approximately, PennDOT plows and about 200 private contracting plows.”

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy announced Thursday night that the state will remain in a state of emergency, which he first declared ahead of the snowfall earlier this week. Murphy said a commercial vehicle ban will go into effect at 3 a.m., and he announced that state offices will be closed Friday.

Col. Pat Callahan, superintendent of the New Jersey State Police, reminds drivers: It’s not over after the snow falls.

“This is a type of a storm that may be deceiving and the back end of it may be a little bit more troublesome than the front end. But Saturday, although less commuters, that wind and light snow may have our roadways get re-covered again.”

PennDOT’s Johnson and AAA Mid-Atlantic’s Jana Tidwell recommend staying home. Tidwell said AAA experiences an increase in calls for roadside assistance during winter weather events. Priority is given to those stranded in the most dangerous conditions.

However, before the roads get bad, Tidwell says, you may want to fill up your gas tank and put an emergency winter weather kit in your car. And if you already have a kit, make sure it’s stocked.

❄ Rock salt
❄ Road traction material, e.g., bag of sand or cat litter
❄ Collapsible shovel
❄ Snow brush and ice scraper
❄ Windshield washer fluid
❄ Blankets, sweatshirts, gloves
❄ Flashlights and batteries
❄ Nonperishable snacks
❄ Drinking water

“Some rock salt or kitty litter, in case you need to get some more traction out there under your tires; a collapsible snow shovel to dig yourself out if necessary; a snow brush and ice scraper deicer.”

And don’t forget to make sure you have windshield washer fluid. “The salt and the brine are rough on your windshield, compromises visibility,” Tidwell said.

If you must go out, PennDOT has an app that can help you with more details than KYW NewsradioTraffic Center can provide.

“511PA is the PennDOT app,” said Johnson. “It's free. It's easy to use. And it's our resource that has all of our traffic cameras on it. It's for the public and it gives real-time traffic. It's updated from our regional Traffic Management Center, which is in King of Prussia. And those folks keep the public up to date on anything that comes up on there.”

Get SEPTA alerts and advisories

And if you do have to head out for any reason, they say drive slowly, never pass a snow plow, and remove all snow from your car so that it doesn’t turn into a projectile off of your roof while you’re driving.

"If you have to brake, please don’t slam on your brakes," Tidwell advised. "Brake gradually. Having room between the cars around you will give you the room to do that. Be very careful on- and off-ramps, as they have a tendency to freeze over before the roads do.

"Primarily, we want to give road crews and emergency responders the room they need to do their jobs — to clear the roads, to help any stranded motorists who are out there."

Tidwell says, despite PennDOT’s hard work, she expects the roads could be hazardous.

“Assume that anything you see out there on the roadways that looks shiny, slick, slippery — assume that it is black ice. There's going to be a lot of that around here, as temperatures continue to hold below the freezing mark.”

On sidewalks that have not been shoveled, where footprints turn to ice, conditions can get treacherous and downright dangerous for pedestrians.

According to the Philadelphia Streets Department, the minimum fine for Philadelphia homeowners for not shoveling their front walks is $50 — and they can go as high as $300 for each violation.

Get Philly sidewalk snow removal rules

Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker made a promise early Friday to have small residential streets and major thoroughfares cleared. By 5:30 p.m., she said they had already made major progress in doing so.

But, while the streets were being maintained, the roads in the sky were not.

PHL reported more than 400 flight delays and more than 50 cancelations for the day.

Officials say that inbound flights were temporarily grounded by the FAA for about an hour to allow PHL to get some outbound flights in the air and make room for inbound ones.

The best way to stay up to date on flight information is through individual airline apps, so be sure to check those ahead of your expected trip.