March 06, 2015

Region still seeing effects of major snowfall

By Bob McGovern
PhillyVoice Contributor

Staff/PhillyVoice.com

While many main roads were in good shape by late this morning, it was a bit dicier in the neighborhoods, where slush-covered ice made driving tricky.

The storm that dropped anywhere from 5 to 11 inches of snow across the region has moved off the coast, but its effects are lingering Friday morning as residents began to dig themselves out.

The bitter cold from Thursday night – low temperatures will drop to 9 degrees in the city - is leaving ice on many area roads and sidewalks.

The snow emergency in Philadelphia expired at midnight, but students in Philadelphia public and archdiocesan schools will have another snow day on Friday out of concern for road conditions.

Also closed on Friday are the Lower Merion and Cherry Hill school districts, but a majority of schools in the area are planning to open with delays. (Cherry Hill said its make-up day will be Friday, June 19, 2015.) A complete list of school closings and delays can be found here.

At 2 p.m. Friday, SEPTA reported that all trains, buses and trolleys are operating on regular weekday schedules and service has been restored on SEPTA's Cynwyd and its Wilmington/Newark Line following earlier suspensions because of Amtrak switching problems. But there are delays and route suspensions because of the weather:

Regional Rail: All SEPTA Regional Rail lines may experience delays up to 30 minutes due to cold weather.

BUS: Service has been restored on Routes 94 and 139, however, Route 139 is operating with a weather-related detour. All SEPTA bus routes are now in service. Currently, 17 bus routes are operating with weather-related detours. For real-time updates on bus detours and other service adjustments, visit the System Status section of SEPTA's website, http://www.septa.org/realtime/status/system-status.shtml. Click on the weather icon next to the route for complete details.

MARKET-FRANKFORD LINE: Due to cold weather, there is no A-B express service. All trains are making all stops for passenger convenience.

NORRISTOWN HIGH SPEED LINE: Trains are running every 15 minutes, making all local stops.

Two dog owners in Fairmount, out for a walk in the snow early Thursday morning, give their pets a chance to catch up on the weather. (Thom Carroll/PhillyVoice.com)

According to the National Weather Service, as of 11 p.m. Thursday snow accumulations in and around Philadelphia ranged from a high of 11.3 inches in East Nantmeal, Chester County, to a low of 4.8 inches in Moorestown, Burlington County. Philadelphia International Airport reported 7.5 inches.

Here's the forecast for the rest of the week in Philadelphia:

Friday: Sunny, with a high near 27.

Friday night: Mostly clear, with a low around 7.

Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 38.

Saturday night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 24.

Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 42.

Sunday night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 26.

Bob McGovern
PhillyVoice Contributor