Get ready for an icy Monday in the Philly region
Driving could be difficult, with possibly hazardous conditions during the afternoon commute Monday and the morning commute Tuesday.
Things could get icy.
A winter weather advisory is in effect for Philadelphia and the rest of the region, with icy conditions caused by freezing rain expected from 1 p.m. Monday to 5 a.m. Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service.
Driving could be difficult, with possibly hazardous conditions during the afternoon commute Monday and the morning commute Tuesday, the weather service said.
Total ice accumulations of one-tenth of an inch are expected in the Philadelphia metropolitan area, including parts of Delaware, weather service meteorologist Brian Haines said. Some portions of South Jersey will see similar amounts of ice, although much of that area may see only rain, he added.
The National Weather Service also posted a more severe ice storm warning for western portions of Chester County, as well as northern sections of Montgomery, Bucks, and Berks Counties, Haines said.
These areas will see ice accumulations of two-tenths to three-tenths of an inch, Haines said.
Tree damage and power outages are likely in the Poconos and the Lehigh Valley, he said.
Although the weather in the immediate Philadelphia area “will be more muted,” Haines said, travelers should be aware that anyone driving from South Jersey or Philadelphia into Montgomery, Chester, and Bucks Counties “needs to be ready for big changes in conditions,” with more ice on the roads.
“I encourage people to know where you are on the map,” Haines said. “The farther north and west you are from the Delaware River, the more ice you’re likely to see.”
Both the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission plan to implement restrictions on trucks and other vehicles on certain roadways around the state beginning at 6 p.m. Monday.
Additional speed and vehicle restrictions on these and other interstates could be added, depending on conditions, officials said.
With freezing weather, roads that only look wet may actually be icy, and extra caution is needed when approaching bridges and highway ramps, where ice can form without warning, transportation officials said.