Snow emergency lifted in Philly after city’s biggest snowfall in 5 years leaves lingering impact on roads and services; another threat Sunday?

After pestering the region for more than 72 hours and generating the region’s biggest snowfall in five years, with totals generally ranging from eight to 15 inches, the storm that wouldn’t die finally was spinning into oblivion off the Jersey coast Tuesday.

Some random patches of snow could pulse across the region into the evening, but no more was expected to accumulate.

But computer models are suggesting the possibility of another coastal storm affecting the region Sunday into Monday, perhaps with more snow. “There’s definitely a potential,” said Trent Davis, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service Office in Mount Holly.

» READ MORE: Three days later, snow winds down after Philly’s biggest total in 5 years. Another threat is looming for Sunday.

— Anthony R. Wood and Rob Tornoe

Philadelphia officials hope to resume trash collection Wednesday as they continue snow removal.

Residents who have Monday or Tuesday trash pickup should hold their trash until next week, said Managing Director Tumar Alexander. Trash pickup will resume for residents regularly schedules for Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays — but he said pickup may continue through the weekend with some delays.

The snow emergency has been lifted in the city, meaning residents can once again park on snow emergency routes. Alexander said crews will continue to focus on clearing residential streets Tuesday evening and Wednesday.

— Laura McCrystal

After 72 hours of snow and ice, you might want to move on to another item, say, our story about Puppy Bowl XVII.

Computer models are suggesting the potential of another coastal storm affecting the region Sunday into Monday, perhaps with more snow.

“There’s definitely a potential,” said Trent Davis, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service Office in Mount Holly. The European forecast models are bullish on a storm that would take a coastal track, more typical of the ones that produce I-95 major snows.

Such a storm is known as a “Miller-A,” named for the researcher who came up with the classification system in 1946.

The one that has been pestering the region since noon Sunday — and is still spinning off New Jersey — traces its lineage to a feature that traveled across the country, lost its punch as it came eastward, then redeveloped on the Atlantic coast as a nor’easter.

The European models are bullish on the Sunday threat; the American, not so much.

“We’re closely watching,” said Brett Rossio, a meteorologist with AccuWeather Inc. “Miller-As are notorious for being stronger than Miller-Bs,” he said, but “this is still a long way out.”

In the meantime, the weather service has continued the current winter storm warning until 4 p.m. Davis said showery snow could continue into the evening.

— Anthony R. Wood

On the morning of the third day of the snowstorm, SEPTA reported the Broad Street and Market-Frankford subways were holding their own, trolleys were operating normally, while some Regional Rail trains were canceled and others had platform changes.

Unplowed roads and icy conditions led to 36 bus-route detours in the city and detours on 28 suburban routes as well. SEPTA officials hoped for improvement later in the day as road crews caught up.

The 310 and 311 Horsham Breeze and the 132 Telford bus routes are suspended until further notice, as are the 139 Limerick and the 80 Horsham-Olney routes.

— Thomas Fitzgerald

With Philadelphia’s official total approaching 8 inches, this has become the city’s biggest snowfall in five years.

Of that, about an inch has fallen since midnight, and with light snow expected to continue through the day, it is possible this storm would reach a rarefied atmosphere for endurance.

With the accumulation totals roughly divided between Sunday and Monday, this has a shot at being only the second time in records dating to the winter of 1884-85 that 2 inches or more of snow has fallen on three consecutive days, according to research by meteorologist Tony Gigi, who helps run the phillywx chat board.

With snow still falling, totals of a 8 inches to a foot-plus were common in the Pennsylvania suburbs, and 6 to 8 in Jersey.

— Anthony R. Wood

A Pennsylvania woman with Alzheimer’s disease was found dead in the snow Monday morning, according to authorities.

Patricia Becker, 67, was pronounced dead of hypothermia on an Allentown street shortly after 9:30 a.m. Monday, according to the Lehigh County coroner’s office. Becker had reportedly wandered away from her home, which was four blocks away on the same street, the coroner’s office said.

About 60 miles north of Allentown in Plains Township, a shooting after an argument over snow removal killed a married couple, and the suspect was later found dead at his nearby home of a wound believed to have been self-inflicted, officials in Luzerne County said.

A preliminary investigation indicates the people involved had a long-running conflict, but “this morning, the dispute was exacerbated by a disagreement over snow disposal,” District Attorney Stefanie Salavantis said.

— Rob Tornoe and Associated Press

— Alejandro A. Alvarez

The worst of the snow is over, but expect a few more flakes Tuesday.

The region is expected to receive an additional 1 to 3 inches of snow through Tuesday afternoon, according to forecasters at the National Weather Service. A winter storm warning remains in effect for Philadelphia and 12 other counties until 4 p.m.

Winds are forecast to gust as high as 35 mph, and drivers should plan on local roads being slick and hazardous. But the worst of the storm has passed over the area, and temperatures will remain in the 30s during the day Tuesday and Wednesday before warming up a bit heading into Friday.

— Rob Tornoe

— John Duchneskie

After fitful spurts of falling and blowing snow, wind gusts to near 50 mph, coastal flooding, and a marathon of sleet, forecasters promised Monday that one of the most-enduring storms the region has experienced really is going to exit sometime Tuesday.

But not the impacts.

“I would expect another day off for people,” said Brad Rudolph, a spokesperson for the PennDot Philadelphia region, which includes places that were reporting up to 20 inches of snow that was still falling late Monday, “and give us a chance to mop up.”

“It’s going to be a slow melt,” said John Feerick, a senior meteorologist with AccuWeather Inc., with highs in the 30s the next three days, and a whole lot of ice locked in that snow cover in and around Philadelphia.

Near-blizzard conditions shut down parts of the state, and Randy Padfield, director of the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency, urged Pennsylvanians to stay off the roads. Precipitation is likely into at least early Tuesday afternoon.

“We are particularly concerned with shipment and delivery of COVID-19 vaccines,” he said.

» READ MORE: Marathon snow and sleet storm to continue into Tuesday, with lingering impact on roads, services, and schools

— Anthony R. Wood and Rob Tornoe

Delaware County government offices and courts will have a delayed opening at 10 a.m. because of the weather, officials said.

COVID-19 testing and vaccinations for Tuesday will be held as planned, officials said.

— Robert Moran

Montgomery County government offices and courts will operate two hours later on Tuesday because of the winter storm, officials said.

The county’s COVID-19 vaccination clinic scheduled for Tuesday at the Montgomery County Community College is canceled, officials said. Registered appointments for Tuesday will be automatically rescheduled to Thursday at Norristown High School.

All county testing sites for COVID-19 will be closed Tuesday, officials said.

— Robert Moran

City offices in Philadelphia will be closed on Tuesday because of the ongoing winter storm, officials said Monday evening.

City-run testing sites for COVID-19 also will be closed and the Health Department is working to reschedule appointments, officials said.

The Health Department will operate its vaccine clinic at one location on Tuesday to handle scheduled appointments. People can also reschedule appointments if needed.

City officials also urged anyone who witnesses a dog outside without proper shelter aside from bathroom breaks or short walks to make a report to the ACCT Philly hotline at 267-385-3800 ext. 1.

— Robert Moran

Gov. Tom Wolf has signed a proclamation of disaster emergency to release more state funding and resources to address the ongoing winter storm in Pennsylvania.

State officials also announced travel limits on numerous roadways across the state, including “Tier 1” restrictions on the Schuylkill Expressway from the Pennsylvania Turnpike to the New Jersey border, Interstate 95 from the Delaware border to the New Jersey border, the Blue Route from I-95 to the Northeast Extension, and the Vine Street Expressway from I-76 to the Ben Franklin Bridge.

More detailed information about what is prohibited can be found at 511pa.com.

Randy Padfield, director of the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency, said in a statement: “We are particularly concerned with shipment and delivery of COVID-19 vaccines, so we appreciate citizens who are taking this storm seriously and staying off the roads because fewer vehicles means fewer incidents that could delay those operations.”

Melissa Batula, deputy secretary for highway administration at PennDOT, said: “We are in the middle of one of the most impactful statewide storms we’ve had in a long time. This is truly an all-hands-on-deck situation, and our crews are working hard to keep roads safe and passable.”

— Robert Moran

School buildings in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia will be closed Tuesday as the snowstorm continues to pound the Philadelphia region.

Officials said that grade schools in the city and high schools throughout the region will engage in remote learning.

Elementary schools in the suburban counties will follow the decisions of their local public schools.

— Kristen A. Graham

No one could accuse this storm of not having an attention span.

Snow is due to back off in intensity later Monday night, but light snow is forecast to persist into Tuesday morning, and it might well become a 48-hour storm, given that the precipitation around Philly first started about noon Sunday.

The National Weather Service says that areas from the Pennsylvania Turnpike on south might get an additional two to six inches Monday night, and perhaps an inch or two of topping Tuesday morning.

Late Tuesday the storm center was off the Jersey coast and not exhibiting much in the way of ambition in moving out to sea.

Areas to the north of the Pennsylvania Turnpike have a lot of shoveling and plowing ahead of them. One observer in Upper Bucks County reported 19.7 inches, with more coming.

To the south, despite a prolonged siege of sleet, areas around the city could end up with eight to 12 inches of snow, in total the weather service said. Philly proper could expect six to 10 inches, said John Feerick, a senior meteorologist with AccuWeather Inc.

Gratefully, no one keeps records, but in some places it had to be about the longest spell of sleet in anyone’s memory, lasting a good 12 to 16 hours Sunday night into Monday afternoon.

That held down on the accumulations, but will not help in the shoveling department: Sleet weighs about three time much as snow.

— Anthony R. Wood

PennDOT has been shifting snow plows and crews to Northeastern Pennsylvania, where snow was falling at a rate of two to four inches per hour in “blizzard-like conditions” late Monday afternoon, said Melissa Betula, the agency’s deputy secretary for highway administration.

“If you can avoid travel, please do so,” Betula said.

The storm was waning in Southwest and Northwest Pennsylvania as the eastern third of the state was being slammed by a nor’easter, powered by intense winds off the Atlantic Ocean.

“Snow is falling at a rate which makes it difficult to keep roads clear — visibility is near zero in places,” said Randy Padfield, director of the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency.

— Thomas Fitzgerald

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy announced that state offices and all six vaccine mega-sites will remain closed on Tuesday because of the winter storm.

Murphy said the continued closure does not impact weather-essential employees. He said private companies and businesses should decide at their own discretion what employees will do on Tuesday.

The governor has declared a state of emergency across all 21 counties in New Jersey, allowing resources to be deployed throughout the state for the duration of the storm.

— Robert Moran

As is often the case with the bigger snows around here, this one is the product of a storm that developed off the Mid-Atlantic coast, a nor’easter, named for the winds from the northeast that these things generate.

This one, however, had its origins in a feature that traveled across the country, weakened as it came eastward, but then redeveloped on the Atlantic coast and was re-born as a potent nor’easter.

In the meteorological community this is known as a “Miller-B,” named for the researcher who came up with classification in 1946. (Yes, the standard coastal variety is a “Miller-A.”)

Miller-Bs are fairly common in winter, but usually they mature too far north to cause heavy snow around Philadelphia.

This one is favoring areas to the north of the city, but Philly still has a shot at is biggest snowfall in five years.

— Anthony R. Wood

The Philadelphia School District will again have a half day Tuesday because of the snow, officials said.

Teachers will lead live lessons in the morning and students will be expected to complete asynchronous work in the afternoon, with children allowed to make time for outside play.

The district’s 200-plus schools followed the same schedule Monday.

— Kristen A. Graham

Montgomery County has extended its “code blue” weather emergency through 10 a.m. Thursday.

A “code blue” declaration is made in Montgomery County when winter conditions pose a threat of serious harm or death to individuals without shelter. Temperatures or wind chills are expected to remain below 20 degrees over the next few days, county commissioners announced Monday.

Montgomery County residents in need of emergency shelter can call 211 or text their zip code to 898-211.

— Rob Tornoe

Sleet, annoying pebbles of ice that fall from the sky, generally isn’t the most-charismatic form of precipitation. It’s unlikely that anyone has posted a sign or created a bumper sticker that read, “Think Sleet!”

But it does have a beneficial side. Some parts of the region have endured 12-plus hours of sleet since Monday night, and that could be significant as winds pick up. Sleet puts a cap on the fallen snow, so it would cut down on drifting, notes John Feerick, a senior meteoroglosit with AccuWeather Inc.

Sleet finds favor with power companies because it bounces off trees, rather than glomming on to them and weighing them down.

Sleet is not to be confused with hail or freezing rain. The latter is rain that freezes when it comes in contact with a service. Hail is ice from the high altitudes, mined by thunderstorm updrafts.

Sleet is snow that melts while passing through one layer of the atmosphere and refreezes before it lands.

Not everyone would view this as a plus, but also holds down snow accumulations. It piles up at about a third of the rate of snow.

That said, you won’t hear shovelers singing, “Let it sleet, let it sleet, let it sleet.” Three inches of sleet could weigh as much as 10 inches of snow. Since it is pure ice, it also melts much more slowly than snow.

So when this all ends sometime Tuesday, it’s going to be with us for awhile.

— Tony Wood

Persistent onshore winds at the Jersey Shore have gusted near 50 mph Monday, and the National Weather Service has issued a coastal flood warning for the beach towns.

“Moderate” tidal flooding is expected around the time of high tide at 10 p.m. with up to 2 feet of flood waters in the low-lying areas with “widespread” road flooding possible.

The snow that fell Sunday is long gone, and temperatures are above freezing. Rain is forecast to change back to snow later with minor accumulations possible.

However, the flood threat has little to do with the precipitation. Gusty winds from the northeast – that’s why they’re called nor’easters – have been howling along the Shore since about 5 p.m. Sunday.

They are due to become more northerly later, but the flooding remains in effect until 5 p.m. Tuesday.

— Tony Wood

Here’s a roundup of snowfall totals in and around Philadelphia, as of just before 12:30 p.m., according to the National Weather Service:

— Rob Tornoe

By noon Monday, sleet had yielded to heavy snow in some areas north and west of the city, and the changeover line was forecast to reach Philadelphia in the next two hours.

Accumulations of five and six inches were common in Bucks, Chester, and Montgomery Counties, with 7.5 measured in Oxford, Chester County. On the Jersey side, snow amounts varied from 3 to 5 inches generally. Totals of a foot and more were reported in North Jersey.

The National Weather Service said that the heaviest snows this afternoon were expected between I-95 and I-78. However, it remained unclear precisely where the heaviest snow bands would set up.

In its updated forecast map, it estimated a storm total of 11 inches for Philadelphia, a foot-plus to the north and west, and 2 feet-plus in the Poconos.

Snow will taper off late Monday night, forecasters said, but some light snow could linger into Tuesday morning with perhaps an additional inch.

— Tony Wood

Warning that the worst of the storm was yet to come, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy urged residents to stay off the roads.

“This is a big one,” Murphy said, noting the storm would continue through Tuesday night. “If you don’t need to be out, go back to your house immediately. If you’re in your house, don’t leave your house.”

Speaking at a news conference streamed from the state Traffic Management Center in Woodbridge, Murphy said there were more than 3,900 road, power and other crews on the roads.

Appointments today at the state-run coronavirus vaccine mega-sites are being rescheduled. The call center will stay open. NJ Transit rail and bus services are suspended, except for the Atlantic City Rail Line.

Snow, sleet, and coastal flooding is expected in South Jersey, but with snow and high winds predicted throughout the region. As of Monday morning, about 1,500 people were without power.

“We are now about to enter the teeth, the worst of the storm,” Murphy said. “It’s going to be really bad for the next 12 hours.”

— Allison Steele

Philadelphia has suspended trash and recycling collection for Monday and Tuesday as sanitation workers help plow streets and scatter the 50,000 tons of salt the city has available to fight the winter storm expected to dump 9 to 15 inches of snow in the area, city officials said Monday.

Residents with pickup scheduled for Monday or Tuesday should hold their trash and recycling until next week instead of putting it out on Wednesday, Streets Commissioner Carlton Williams said at a virtual news conference on the city’s response to the storm, which has impacted operations across local government.

The School District of Philadelphia is closing at 1 p.m. Monday, and at least 100 flights at Philadelphia International Airport have already been cancelled. The airport has 400 staff members and some contracted workers on hand to smooth operations, airport chief operating officer Keith Brune said.

While the lull in the nor’easter has allowed SEPTA a relatively smooth morning, the system expects more train and bus issues later in the day, especially in the suburbs, assistant general manager Scott Sauer said. Currently 10 bus routes are on detour. The Broad Street Line and the Market-Frankford Line are the most reliable services at the moment, he said.

Additionally, the city is in a “code blue” emergency for people experiencing homelessness, who are encouraged to seek shelter through the city and its partners. At least 70 people have been placed in shelters already, said Liz Hersh, director of the Office Homeless Services.

Resident can call 215-232-1984 to get help accessing services for themselves or someone else who needs shelter.

— Sean Collins Walsh

After a lull of several hours and prolonged periods of icy drizzle, heavier snow is due to spread across the region starting early Monday afternoon and continuing into the evening, forecasts say.

A coastal storm was intensifying off Maryland on Monday morning, and it was expected to throw back strong winds and more accumulating snow, said Dean Iovino, lead forecaster at the National Weather Service Office in Mount Holly.

He said the most likely outcome for Philadelphia would be an additional three to six inches atop what fell Sunday and overnight from the original storm spawned from the burgeoning nor’easter.

Generally two to five inches has fallen in the region, with an official 3.2 at Philadelphia International Airport. Iovino said the heaviest snow should wind down Monday night, but light snow is likely to persist into Tuesday.

At the Shore, winds were gusting to 40 mph Monday morning, and a coastal flood warning was in effect.

The precipitation was forecast to change to snow there, but accumulations were expected to be light.

Don’t be surprised to see further tweaks in the forecast. It remained unclear where the heaviest snow band was going to set up.

The weather service cited “alarming levels of disagreement among the models.”

Sounds familiar.

— Tony Wood

Here’s a roundup of snowfall totals in and around Philadelphia, as of 9:16 a.m., according to the National Weather Service:

— Rob Tornoe

SEPTA Regional Rail was experiencing delays and some cancellations Monday morning. Shortly after 9 a.m. on the Thorndale Line, Train 5312 was canceled between Malvern and Suburban Station.

There were scattered delays on the Airport and Newark lines, and Train 709 was running 25 minutes late to Trenton on the Chestnut East Line, SEPTA reported.

Due to equipment problems, all Market Frankford Line trains will board on westbound platforms between the Huntingdon and Allegheny Stations, according to SEPTA.

— Thomas Fitzgerald

— Alejandro Alvarez

Just about all commercial vehicles will be prohibited from traveling on several local highways Monday morning, including I-95, PennDOT announced.

Beginning at 9 a.m. Monday, no commercial vehicles are permitted to travel on I-95, I-76, and I-276, except loaded single trailers with chains. The restrictions also include school and commercial buses, RVs and motorhomes, and all passenger vehicles towing trailers.

Here’s a complete list of roads where the restrictions will remain into effect until “conditions warrant their removal,” according to PennDOT:

— Rob Tornoe

With snowfall totals disrupting travel across the region, what happens if you had a COVID-19 vaccination scheduled for Monday?

In Philadelphia, the Health Department will operate its COVID-19 vaccine clinic at one location Monday for appointments previously scheduled. Individuals who have registered for appointments with the Health Department will also have the option to reschedule their appointments, the city said.

If you have a vaccination scheduled at a site not run by the city — including hospitals, clinics, and pharmacies — the Health Department suggests that residents should call ahead to check their status.

In Pennsylvania, Gov. Tom Wolf’s office said providers will work to reschedule appointments canceled by the storm. Residents unable to make their appointment should contact their provider to find a time to reschedule.

In New Jersey, six “mega-sites” for coronavirus vaccinations will be shuttered Monday due to the storm, and warned about possible schedule disruptions on Tuesday.

The COVID-19 vaccination center in Camden County is rescheduling all appointments currently scheduled for Monday and Tuesday. All rescheduled vaccinations will now take place on Wednesday, the county announced in a statement

— Rob Tornoe

– Rob Tornoe

Philadelphia could see its most significant snowfall in five years with a foot or more of accumulation from a nor’easter that began bearing down on the region Sunday afternoon.

There is still some question of how hard a wallop to expect. But meteorologists increasingly agreed as the day wore on Sunday that the snowfall would keep coming for days, the winds would gust mightily and, before it was all over, the accumulation would be significant.

The National Weather Service declared a winter storm warning for the entire region from 1 p.m. Sunday through 10 a.m. Tuesday, predicting totals ranging from at least six inches to as much as a foot in Philadelphia and most of Delaware County. Montgomery, Bucks and Chester Counties could see as many as 18 inches, while the danger along the Jersey Shore is more likely to be coastal flooding.

The first flakes started falling in Center City around noon Sunday. Just how much could pile up across much of the region depends on what happens Monday, when the heavier bands move through the region, the meteorologists said.

At some point Monday morning, the snow is expected to transition to sleet and wintry mix and could even stop for a period. But as cold air pushes back across Philadelphia and its suburbs Monday afternoon, the snow will start falling again.

When that transition happens — as early as midafternoon according to some models and as late as early Monday evening in others — will determine whether snow totals fall at the lower end or below predicted ranges or rise significantly before the storm starts to move out of the area overnight Monday and into Tuesday.

» READ MORE: Philly and N.J. declare snow emergencies as nor’easter bears down, promising most significant snowfall in 5 years

— Jeremy Roebuck and Catherine Dunn

In New Jersey, the coming storm prompted Gov. Phil Murphy to declare a state of emergency that took effect at 7 p.m. Sunday across all 21 counties. State offices will be closed Monday, except for weather-essential employees. The governor’s office said private businesses should dismiss employees “at their own discretion.”

All NJ Transit bus and rail service will be suspended Monday, except for the Atlantic City Rail Line, which will operate on a regular weekday schedule, unless weather conditions change. The Murphy administration said all six “mega-sites” for coronavirus vaccinations will be shuttered Monday, as well.

“Heavy snow, coastal flooding, and high winds are expected in many parts of the state ,” Murphy said in a statement. “The safety of residents and workers is our utmost priority. Please follow all weather-related guidance and stay off the roads in order to allow access for emergency personnel.”

— Jeremy Roebuck and Catherine Dunn

SEPTA said it “will do everything possible” to keep the Market-Frankford and Broad Street lines open during the inclement weather, and that if customers must travel during the storm, those lines are the “best bet.” Owl buses continued to operate on those lines overnight Sunday, SEPTA said.

The City Trolley Tunnel, which has been closed at night for maintenance and cleaning, will instead remain open overnight Sunday into Monday.

Norristown High Speed Line and Regional Rail schedules will remain unchanged, however SEPTA officials warn that delays and trip cancellations are possible.

Amtrak announced a smattering of delays and cancellations for train travel in the Northeast on Sunday.

The rail service also issued an alert for schedule changes taking effect Monday, including cancellations of all Acela service between Boston and Washington, D.C., and all service on the Pennsylvanian between Pittsburgh and New York.

PATCO began running a snow schedule just after midnight Monday. All trains are operating at “reduced speeds” due to the storm, slowing travel time, the service announced.

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