Snow is gone, but we're not done yet

A winter storm that blanketed the Philadelphia region with the biggest snowfall of the season has moved on but some more snow and a deep freeze are on the way.

The National Weather Service said that before the storm ended, it measured 3.7 inches of snow at its official monitoring station at National Park, N.J, more than any other snowfall this winter and bringing the seasonal total 10.2 inches, about half the total seasonal average.

Amounts of 5 inches and more have been reported around the region, including 6.5 inches at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst.

For a heavy snowfall, this one was remarkably light in terms of weight. The total precipitation measured at Philadelphia International Airport was just over 0.2 inches. Typically, that would yield maybe 2.5 inches of snow. However the combination of temperatures in the teens, and the fact that the region evidently was under an ideal snow-growth region that yielded a harvest of big, aggregating flakes, resulted in accumulations more on the order of 4 and 5 easily moved inches.

Assuming the forecast holds, this will be the coldest February week in Philadelphia since Presidents Day week of 1979. Although three of the five lowest temperatures in the 141-year period of record have occurred in February, prolonged cold snaps this late in the winter are not that common. That's because the days are getting longer, and the sun, stronger.

On Monday, when the mercury plunged to 3 degrees in Philadelphia, AAA Mid-Atlantic reported a record number of trouble calls with over 12,000. Tuesday's numbers weren't available yet, however, calls were down as motorists evidently were waiting for conditions to improve, said spokeswoman Jana Tidwell.

This afternoon, most treated roads should be wet, even though temperatures will struggle to get out of the mid-20s. However as the sun fades late in the day, roadways, especially bridges and overpasses, are likely to re-freeze.

Temperatures will be a few degrees higher Wednesday, however yet another Arctic front, announced by snow squalls, is due, and temperatures will fall to single digits by Thursday morning, and perhaps hit zero for the first time in 21 years on Friday.

The NWS, calling this a week of "high impact winter weather," says the squalls could dump up to 2 more inches of snow.

"Believe it or not, snow to rain or ice is outlooked for this coming weekend," a weather service statement said.

The storm Tuesday morning prompted many school districts to close while others opnened late. Among those to close were Philadelphia's public and Catholic schools, which had originally planned to open late but changed course while the snow was still falling around daylight.

Here's the latest of what you need to know.

DRIVING

Motorist are finding it slow going as aoadways are still being plowed or salted and countless side streets are waiting to be cleared. PennDot alone has deployed more than 430 trucks to clear snow. A number of accidents have been reported, but none with serious injuries. The New Jersey State Police said troopers responded to 120 accidents in the areas they patrol.

PennDot has lifted speed restrictions on Interstates 76, 95, 476, 676; U.S. Routes 1, 30, 202, 422, and State Routes 63, 100 Spur and 309.

A 25 mph speed limit is place on the Delaware River Bridges (25 mph). The speed limit on the New Jersey Turnpike is down to 35 mph from Exit 1 to Exit 11 as parts of South Jersey are feeling the brunt of the storm. The speed limit also is 35 mph on the Garden State Parkway.

The Benjamin Franklin Bridge walkway is closed.

MASS TRANSIT

SEPTA: Regional Rail, trolleys, the Market Frankford and Broad Street lines are operating on a regular weekday schedule, but Regional Rail trains were experiencing delays of up to 20 minutes. Service has resumed on the Route 35 bus, but weather-related detours remain in place on routes 18, G, H and XH. All other SEPTA services are running on or close to schedule.

CCT service is operating with delays of up to 60 minutes. Customers should call the CCT Control Center at 215-580-7720 to cancel trips if they don't plan to ride or to inquire about pending "same day" trips. Customers can call CCT Customer Service at 215-580-7145 for all other inquiries. SEPTA website is www.septa.org.

PATCO: Trains are running on a snow schedule: Every 15 minutes until 2 p.m. and then every 10 minutes until 6 p.m. www.ridepatco.org

Amtrak: Trains are running on a modified schedule. Go to www.amtrak.com for details.

NJ Transit: Systemwide cross-honoring of NJT rail, bus & light rail passes is in effect. www.njtransit.com

AIRPORT

FAA has lifted ground delays for flights headed to Philadelphia. Some145 flights to or from Philadelphia International Airport were canceled during the morning, according to the flightaware.com tracking service. Most of the affected airports also were dealing with snow. www.phl.org