What to Know
- Wednesday's winter storm brought several hours of snow and sleet throughout the Philadelphia area.
- The wintry mix created a mess on local roads and led to travel restrictions and closures across the region.
- The wintry mix began to change over to rain early Wednesday evening. Temperatures will warm overnight into Thursday.
Wednesday's winter storm brought several hours of snow and sleet throughout the Philadelphia area, slamming right into the middle of the day.
By lunchtime, mostly every neighborhood saw snow, with some heavy bands bringing snowfall at a rate of an inch or more an hour, as temps hovered in the upper 20s.
The harder it snowed, the worse the visibility and the greater amount of snow that stuck. Intensity levels were enough to bring more accumulating snow into the afternoon.
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As temps warmed up heading into the evening commute, the snow began to turn over to sleet and freezing rain during the drive, creating slippery and slushy conditions.
By 5 p.m. it began to rain in much of Delaware, South Jersey, Philadelphia and the Pennsylvania suburbs.
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Temperatures continued to slightly warm overnight, and the Thursday morning commute will not see freezing conditions — meaning roadways will improve but slick spot are still possible.
The storm spurred travel restrictions and lower speed limits on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, Schuylkill Expressway (Interstate 76) and other major highways. Amtrak modified its Keystone Service and Philadelphia International Airport warned of cancellations and delays. Crashes at points closed the Pennsylvania Turnpike and Route 422.
Officials also say the slick roads played a role in a deadly accident in Townsend, Delaware, in which a woman crashed into a pond.
SEPTA also instituted an Early Exit Schedule from Center City that started rush hour service at 1 p.m. and had to detour dozens of bus routes.
SNOW TOTALS
Despite the periods of snow, the region didn't see much accumulation with the highest recorded amount being 4 inches in parts of New Castle County, Delaware, as well as Chester County, Pennsylvania.
Two to 3 inches of snow fell in Philadelphia.
SCHOOLS, OFFICES CLOSE
Even before the first flake fell, the Philadelphia School District announced its plan to close public schools Wednesday. All city archdiocesan and parochial schools also closed. Hundreds of other schools and Temple University followed suit.
Late Tuesday night, Gov. Phil Murphy declared a State of Emergency for New Jersey. Courts and county offices in Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties, as well as Philadelphia courts, were also closed. Philadelphia and Wilmington closed offices early. Other townships and municipalities also put snow emergencies in place.
The rest of the 10-day forecast looks much milder, with highs in the 40s and 50s. We could even see temps in the 60s on Sunday.
Stay with the First Alert weather team for frequent updates on this storm, and download the NBC10 app to track the storm as it impacts your neighborhood.
