Storm brings blizzard conditions and a record

Snow is piling up the throughout the Philadelphia area and near blizzard conditions have prompted officials to close highways and begin shutting down some mass transit services.

Today's heavyweight bout entered its second round with the winter weather delivering a series of withering blows that were quickly followed by towels thrown into the ring.

The Philadelphia School District announced public schools will remain closed tomorrow and the Archdioese of Philadelphia said its 77 schools in the city also will rack up another snow day.

Pennsylvania closed the Schuylkill and Vine Street Expressways and the Blue Route at 2 p.m. SEPTA halted most of its bus service and said remaining buses would stop running at 5 p.m. Still operating trains and trolleys are experiencing cancellations and delays.

The same mass transit story is being played out in New Jersey, where NJ Transit is struggling to keep its buses, trains and light rails operating.

The Philadelphia International Airport closed its runways about 1 p.m.

The Postal Service suspended deliveries and collections at noon.

Scattered power outages have been reported throughout the region.

The weight of old and new snow on roofs was a matter of concern and a several collapses were reported, including part of a roof on a modular home in Upper Frederick, Montgomery County. No injuries have been reported.

Before the second of two winter storms - a potentially explosive nor'easter - started dumping snow on the region this morning, there had been a lull that a brought a mix of rain and sleet.

The first round left about seven inches of snow in some places and played some havoc with the morning rush hour, but did not paralyze traffic or mass transit as tens of thousands stayed home.

But round two, packing a bigger punch than the overnight storm, had prompted schools, government offices and courts to announce they were closing for the day hours before the first snowflake fell last night.

And this monster has all but officially helped set a new record for snowfall in a single winter season on top of last weekend's 20-plus incher.

A National Weather Service blizzard warning is in effect until midnight for heavy snow and high winds that have the potential of creating whiteout conditions.

At times, two or three inches an hour will fall, adding up to 18 to 20 inches alone since last night for the I-95 corridor, from Wilmington to New York City, said Bob Wanton of the National Weather Service.

Thunder and lightning were reported in some Pennsylvania suburbs.

Wanton said, "The heavy accumulating snow will be ending during the evening hours."

This means that anyone who made it to work this morning will have a much harder time getting home tonight, if they can make it at all.

Officials also are urging caution in shoveling because this snow is wetter and heavier than last weekend's snow.

New Jersey Gov. Christie declared that a state of emergency had existed in South Jersey since Friday and gave state, local and county authorities the power to restrict traffic and take other special measures as needed.

Delaware also declared a state of emergency, allowing only emergency vehicle and essential personnel, including doctors and nurses, to use the state's highways.

In issuing the blizzard warning at 4:30 a.m., the NWS teletype bulletin offered this advice:

NEAR-BLIZZARD OR BLIZZARD CONDITIONS ARE RARE FOR OUR AREA ... SO IT IS LIKELY THAT PEOPLE WILL NOT REALIZE THE PERIL THAT EXISTS IN VENTURING OUT IN SUCH STORMS. LIFE-THREATENING CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE ... AND DRIVING WILL BE HAZARDOUS AT BEST DURING THIS WINTER STORM TODAY AND EARLY TONIGHT. IT IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED THAT TRAVEL BE CURTAILED DUE TO THE DANGEROUS CONDITIONS ... AND ONLY DRIVE IF IT IS TRULY AN EMERGENCY SITUATION.

The snow started accumulating about 8 last night in Philadelphia.

As of 10:30 last night, three inches had already fallen in Delaware County, two inches in Mount Holly.

PECO reported about 1,400 customers lost power this morning, about 1,200 in Northeast Philadelphia.

PSE&G said about 1,800 of its customers scattered throughout New Jersey were without electricity,

At the Shore, which was hard hit by the weekend storm, about 11,000 Atlantic City Electric customers remained without electricity this morning, down from 32,000 yesterday.

Bridget Shelton of Atlantic City Electric says there were some additional minor outages in Glassboro and Winslow Township this morning.

"We continue to work around the clock there," said Shelton. "With the layer of snow and the layer of rain that can tend to weight down the power lines"

But at 11:30 a.m., the utility pulled its crews off the streets because of high winds.

The new snow is heavy enough to prompt some homeowners to shovel off their roofs - especially if they are flat - or to calling in a professional.

Bill Dietz, production manager at Russell Roofing in Oreland, said the company has shoveled off flat roofs for half a dozen customers who were anxious about the possibility of collapses or leaks.

"It's real heavy and sloppy, then it turns to ice at night when there's no sun around," Dietz said. "The drain boxes freeze up, then the water can't run off the roof."

In such cases, he said, the company would come back later and melt the iced-up drain with some hot water and calcium chloride.

A soundly built and well maintained roof probably will not be in any jeopardy from the combination of the new snow and the snowfall from last weekend, said James Mitchell, a professor in Drexel University's Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering.

"But if you have a house that had termites, and had been neglected, then yeah, there could be problems," Mitchell said.

The engineer, who lives in a Center City rowhouse, said he had shoveled off his flat roof on Sunday, but not because he had any fear of roof failure. He did so to allow light to shine through his skylights, and also to prevent a leak in case the snow piled up higher than the "curb" surrounding the skylight.