Waiting for The Thaw

KYW Newsradio Storm Center Coverage

by KYW's Paul Kurtz, Hadas Kuznits, Al Novack, Brad Segall, Mark Abrams, Tony Hanson, Mike Dunn, and Mike DeNardo

The sleet storm was gone by Wednesday afternoon, but that didn't mean getting to work was any easier for Delaware Valley residents on Thursday morning.

Jonah Conway left his home in the Somerton section of Philadelphia around 3:45am, to drive down to Roxborough and dig his parents' car out of their ice-packed driveway.

"It's just solid ice. Trying to break it is imopssible. You're talking about, maybe...  They said three to four inches but it's five or six inches of ice. It's pretty solid. Where the winddrift's got it, it's even thicker and harder to get through. It's difficult.  We'll get through it -- don't have a choice. Can't sit home, gotta pay the bills!"

 It took him over two hours to get the job done, then it was off to work.

AccuWeather expected it to be partly sunny, windy, and very cold on Thursday with a high of 26 degrees. But the weather felt like it was in the single digits due to the wind.

Temperatures will drop to lows near 10 degrees in some suburbs on Thursday night, and 16 degrees in center city.

The snow tapered off Wednesday night, but falling temperatures has caused many roadways and walkways to ice over, making for another tricky commute Thursday morning.
 
Snow, ice, and freezing temperatures continued to cause some travel and safety problems.

Salt solution is meant to prevent water on the roads from freezing, but the slushy mix was causing some visibility problems. Painted lines on the roads were difficult to see on many locations.

AAA was advising drivers buckle up, slow down, and turn your headlights on.

If you start to skid, experts advise, take your foot off the brake, shift to neutral, and steer in the direction you want to go. They say to avoid panic braking or hard acceleration in a skid.

In the city, watch for ice falling from overhead.  One person was treated for minor injuries Wednesday afternoon after being hit with a falling ice chuck near 16th and Market Streets.

At Philadelphia International Airport, officials say 25 percent of all flights remained canceled on Thursday. There were significant delays, so travelers were advised to check with their individual airline. 
 
The airport operates a web site, PHL.org, and an automated telephone line, 1-800-PHL-GATE.

Travel conditions improved dramatically throughout the Delaware Valley on Thursday, following a treacherous rush hour Wednesday evening made slick by a combination of snow, slush, and ice.

Stay with KYW Newsradio 1060 for all the information you need including "Traffic and Transit on the Twos," and school closings.

Mass transit was experiencing some problems and delays Thursday morning because of slippery and icy conditions.

SEPTA's Route 35 bus route remained suspended on Thursday morning because it operates through the hilly Manayunk-Roxborough area.

Signal problems has stopped service on SEPTA's R6 Cynwyd line for a time. SEPTA Paratransit was operating on a one-hour delay on Thursday morning.

PATCO says it was operating trains every six minutes Thursday morning, with no express service.
 
Amtrak reported no problems or delays in the Northeast corridor between Washington and Boston. However, Amtrak did have 30-minute delays due to signal problems between Harrisburg and Philadelphia.

Sleet and freezing rain on Wednesday followed the snow that began to blanket parts of the region Tuesday morning.  

SEPTA warned its commuters to be careful on the transit parking lots and train platforms as crews continued to salt those areas that may be slippery because of the ice and snow.

NJT and DART began Thursday  morning without delays.

 
As of Wednesday night, service had been restored to most PECO customers.

There were power outages throughout the region, especially in South Jersey. On Wednesday, Atlantic Electric reported scattered outages in Camden Gloucester, Salem, and Cape May counties -- an average of about 2,000 outages in each of those counties.  

Delmarva Electric reported more than 13,000 outages on Wednesday. 

"Code Blue" alerts for the homeless in Philadelphia and Burlington counties have been extended.

Philadelphia courts are open. City trash and recycling is being picked up, according to the Streets Department.

Police were asking drivers not to park too close to corners because of plow and salt truck operations.

(Top photo: KYW's Mike Teiper)