Snow brings accidents, airport delays

More than 20 accidents occurred on area roads during a messy morning rush, mostly on secondary roads rather than the more heavily treated highways, which seemed wet throughout the morning.

Snow began falling in the city about 6:30 a.m., and seemed virtually finished four hours later, depositing less than an inch in Center City - about half of the predicted 1.7 inches.

Although Philadelphia International Airport was open, arriving flights faced delays for an hour, because of an FAA "ground stop" that suspended takeoffs at other airports of Philadelphia-bound flights till about 9:30 a.m., according to airport spokeswoman Victoria Lupica.

Only a few schools in Southeastern Pennsylvania were closed, with another handful opening two hours late. Closed today were Devon Preparatory School in Chester County, Kohelet Yeshiva High School in Montgomery County, and Crefeld School in Philadelphia.

Higher totals, up to 3 or 4 inches, were expected in areas to the north, from the Lehigh Valley to North Jersey and New York City.

At the Shore, the heaviest snow wasn't expected till between 9 and 11 a.m., according to the National Weather Service.

Afternoon skies should be snow-free in the Philadelphia area, and temperatures should be above freezing, so the drive home should be less eventful.

To see a map of estimated totals, go to www.erh.noaa.gov/er/phi/StormTotalSnow/index.php.

For more on traffic, go to www.philly.com/traffic.

For more on the forecast, go to http://go.philly.com/weather.