PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The most difficult part of your commute could simply be stepping out of your front door. Snow gave way to freezing rain on Tuesday and temperatures plummeted overnight. Any roads or sidewalks that weren’t properly treated are now dangerously icy.
According to the National Weather Service in Mount Holly, temperatures in Philadelphia dropped below 20 degrees for the first time in nearly a year. The streak — 345 days — is tied for the sixth-longest on record.
PennDOT spokesperson Brad Rudolph said elevated surfaces like ramps and bridges will likely need more treatment than other spots.
In addition to the frozen roads, many still need to be cleared of snow that fell between Monday night and Tuesday morning. The shoulders of bigger roads and backroads will be a priority.
“There’s still snow on some of the travel lanes and shoulders, so that’ll need to be cleared,” Rudolph said. “Elevated surfaces like ramps and bridges, there could be some trouble spots where extra salt is needed.”
Drivers are advised to avoid the roads, if at all possible, amid the freeze, but if they must go out, take it slow.
When roads look wet, they may actually be frozen or slippery black ice, PennDOT said. In New Jersey, NJDOT warned of similar conditions.
This week’s snowfall was the first in the region in nearly two years, with about 2 to 3 inches reported in Philadelphia.
“It’s been a while,” said Rudolph. “This seemed to be a more typical southeast Pennsylvania storm — some higher accumulations in the northwest suburbs, a little wetter snow and less accumulations along the 95 corridor and below. Pretty typical storm that we would get, a 2- to 4-inch kind of storm. I would expect more throughout the season. Nothing [PennDOT] can’t handle.”
We’re not out of the woods yet, though. Another chance of snowfall could blanket the region again on Friday.
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