March 2009 Roars In Like a Lion

Delaware Valley residents and commuters were walloped by a nor'easter on Monday. It brought blustery winds and nearly a foot of snow in some areas.
   
AccuWeather was calling for about six inches of the white stuff in the city of Philadelphia, with more to the east, falling heavily into Monday afternoon.

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KYW's Ian Bush reports that road conditions varied widely on Monday. Some highways and streets simply wet, others slush- or snow-covered, making travel tricky.

The westbound lanes of the Schuylkill Expressway were shut down late Monday morning at Gladwyne by a jackknifed tractor-trailer.

AAA Mid-Atlantic responded to more than 2600 calls for help on Monday morning -- mostly towing and getting cars unstuck from the snow.

In mass transit, Septa regional rails were running about 15 minutes behind schedule.  Amtrak riders were experiencing minor delays along the northeast corridor.

Flight delays continued at Philadelphia International Airport.  Around 250 flights were canceled. Check the airport web site or the FAA's site for specifics.
    
KYW's Jim Melwert reports from Philadelphia International Airport that the weather gummed up flights all along the east coast creating headaches for air travelers. Many were forced to spend the night at the airport or in area hotels.   

Hundreds of flights into and out of Philadelphia were canceled thanks to the weather. Maryanne was supposed to fly out on Sunday night but won’t be able to get out until Tuesday morning at the earliest, bad news for her especially because she’s in the military:

"And my platoon sergeants and everything, they're all upset because you're supposed to report at a certain time and that's your responsibility. You're to be there. And when you're not there, you're put in a bad situation with them when you get back."

Other people share similar stories of woe, including one man trying to get from Roanoke to Pittsburgh. He’d could have made the drive in 5½ hours, but thanks to the weather, his trip took over 24 hours. 

KYW's Mike Dunn reports that City of Philadelphia snow plows were expected to be out much of the day.  By 11am, crews had treated and plowed 1,500 of the city's 2,500 miles of streets.

But city officials say they would try -- try -- to plow some of the smaller neighborhood streets.

Most primary and secondary roads were salted and plowed at least once, and a contingent of about 350 vehicles with plows attached were still at work as of noontime Monday.
   
Streets commissioner Clarena Tolson says that effort will continue in the coming days and will include some side streets:

"Given the projections that we had for this storm, and the expected cold temperatures, we're also going to try to address many of our residential streets."

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 Tolson says the morning's heavy winds posed a particular challenge:

"The wind gusts up to 37 miles per hour proved to be a little bit challenging, because it caused some minor snow drifting, but also caused streets to be re-covered as they were salted and treated."

Tolson urges anyone who is hoping to see their side street plowed to wait until Tuesday to call -- but on Tuesday simply call "311" and give operators your street name.
   
City trash and recycling will be delayed one day for all neighborhoods.

  
KYW's Tony Hanson reports from Atlantic City, NJ that parts of South Jersey got close to a foot of snow.

The packed snow and ice made for a slow, jarring ride on the Atlantic City Expressway, into the afternoon.

And in Atlantic City, drifts on the beach piled up a couple of feet and stretched to the water’s edge. And crews were plowing  the boardwalk.

But one visiting woman was keeping her smile:

(Woman:)  "We're on vacation.  We just came back from Myrtle Beach, where it was warmer, and we're headed back to Vermont."

(Hanson:)   "So what were you expecting in Atlantic City?  Not this, I expect."

(Woman:)  "Not really (laughs).  But we're weathering the storm, and we're going to try to head back to Vermont today."
  
But there was a preview of summer.  A visiting Canadian couple walking the boards told me they had seen two surfers out during the morning.  Crazy, eh?

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KYW's Kim Glovas talked to some residents about the city of Philadelphia's decision not to plow side streets until Tuesday.
 
In Gray's Ferry, where streets were snow covered but passable, Jimmy was cleaning off his car. He is not happy with Mayor Nutter's decision not to plow side streets:

"I think Nutter needs to get a new job."

But he admits it's really not that bad in the streets:

"It's not going to be hard to get out because it was supposed to be about 12 inches of snow and it's about two inches of snow.  So, you know, everybody's buying bread and milk for no good reason."

He says the last time he saw a plow on his street was 1985.

KYW's Brad Segall reports from Bucks County that the overnight snow made Monday's morning commute a little tricky for some drivers in the suburbs, but there were others  who were happy to see the snow.

While total accumulations weren’t all that impressive, there was enough snow for contractors to hook up the plows to the front of their trucks and hit the area’s parking lots. They haven’t been able to do that much this winter. That’s why, for them, the storm was good news.
  
Sean Young was clearing a parking lot along Route 202 in New Britain:

"Oh yeah -- at the moment, with construction and everything slowing down, it’s kind of nice to pick up a few extra bucks with some plowing of snow.”

Road crews did a pretty good job of clearing the main roads in the suburbs, but another round of snow quickly covered the roads again, making the morning commute dicey for drivers.


KYW's John Ostapkovich found some center city residents coping rather easily with the storm's aftermath.

John Steinhouse cleared the sidewalk in front of Loli Loli, his wife's shop on Walnut Street.  Ad, no, he didn't need help:

"It's a little bit of a disappointment as far as the Storm of the Century goes.  It's pretty easy to shovel.  It's coming right off.  There's no ice.  Just a little salt and I think we'll be good for the day."

Across the street, some entrances to Washington Square were blocked by yellow caution tape.  Paul Maynardi and his dog  Bubba found a way to enjoy themselves:

"It's really good.  Usually they close this park if the snow gets really heavy.  I think they're concerned about branches breaking off from the trees."

Bubba had no comment.

Meanwhile, over at the Philadelphia Flower Show, thousands found a way to avoid the winter weather altogether. 

Many who attend the annual rite of spring poured off trains at the Market East station and were funneled by SEPTA employees directly into the Convention Center without ever having to go outside.

"I'm a gardener, so I love it.  You get lots of ideas and get pumped out about getting the spade out and getting to work."

But on this day, it was a different kind of shovel getting the workout.

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KYW's Al Novack reports that many schools in the area were closed, including all Philadelphia public and archdiocesan schools. See a full list of closings.

An airport spokesperson says that hundreds of flights were canceled at Philadelphia International Airport as a result of the storm.

There were winter storm warnings for the entire region through 4pm on Monday.


Stay tuned to KYW Newsradio 1060 for AccuWeather updates eight times every hour, and "Traffic and Transit on the Twos," every ten minutes. See the jams.

(Photo by KYW's John Ostapkovich)