Storm weakens, still a hazardous commute
With its track shifting further overnight, a once-feared storm dropped less snow than originally forecast but still managed to hit South Jersey with up to six inches, and prompt officials to close schools in Philadelphia and elsewhere.
The City of Philadelphia lifted its snow emergency, in place since Sunday night, at 11 a.m. A state of emergency remains in effect in New Jersey.
Snow forecast / totals
Most places in the region saw a couple inches of snow, with some parts of South Jersey and the Shore getting six or more inches
Philadelphia International Airport recorded 3.4 inches.
In Atlantic County, 7 inches fell in Ventnor City and 6 inches in both Galloway Township and Mays Landing.
Manahawkin, along the Shore in Ocean County, hit 6.1 inches, and Surf City, Toms River and Lanoka Harbor all had 4.5 or more inches.
Other high totals in the Philadelphia region included 5.5 inches in Pitman, Gloucester County and 4.7 inches in Haddon Heights, Camden County.
Prior to this storm, the Philadelphia area had already seen 59.5 inches of snow for the winter. So far, that puts it in third place for most snow in a winter stretching back 130 years. We would need to see about six inches of snow, including today, to overtake the total from the current second place winter of 1995-96. The winter of 2009-10 still stands as the undisputed worse, with 78.7 inches of snow.
Roads
A tractor trailer jackknifed shortly before 5 a.m., causing fuel to spill, along I-95 in South Philadelphia, in the northbound lanes near Washington Ave. That was causing problems, though it was not clear if weather was a factor. Lanes reopened around 6:30 a.m.
Though the snow amounts might not have been as first predicted, roads and sidewalks were slippery nonetheless. Even sidewalks cleared in Center City retained a sheen of ice.
New Jersey State Police said troopers had responded to 88 crashes in its patrol areas by late morning.
Speed limits on a number of highways in the Philadelphia region were reduced to 45 mph for the morning, but normal speed limits were restored for all roads except I-95 aroundnoon.
Speed limits on the Benjamin Franklin, Walt Whitman, Commodore Barry and Betsy Ross bridges were reduced to 25 mph.
Public transit
Many SEPTA buses are being detoured. The Norristown High Speed Line is running every 15 to 20 minutes. There is no A or B service on the Market-Frankford Line; all trains will make all stops.
PATCO is operating on a snow schedule, with trains operating every 10 to 15 minutes.
Airport
Hundreds of flights -- about one-third of the day's total -- into and out of Philadelphia International Airport are canceled or delayed, according to the flight-tracking website FlightAware.
The airport said most of those flights were scheduled for this morning, and normal operations were expected to resume around noon.
Schools
All Philadelphia public and parochial schools are closed. Many schools in the Philadelphia suburbs and South Jersey, such as Camden and Cherry Hill, also canceled classes.
Some area colleges, including Temple University, the University of Pennsylvania, Rowan University and Drexel University, were operating on delayed schedules.
Government
Government offices in Philadelphia, as well as in Burlington, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties, are opening two hours late.
Government facilities in Atlantic and Camden counties are closed.
Philadelphia courts are closed and Monday trash pick-up is suspended. Philadelphia residents with Monday garbage collection should hold their trash until next Monday.
Check back for details on the storm as they develop.