Snow tapers off in Philly, blankets some suburbs; more cold weather in the forecast

Parts of the Philadelphia region have just experienced what was by far their biggest snowfall this winter, even if the vast majority of people living in the city and areas to the south and east might find that rather unimaginable.

Some towns in Bucks, Chester, and Montgomery Counties weighed in with 7 to 9 inches on Tuesday, and others with 3 to 6 inches of ultra-heavy, picturesque snow that pasted itself onto trees. A whole bunch of that white mass came in a hurry during what ordinarily would be the peak morning commuting hours.

The speed limit on several highways across the region have been restored to normal after being reduced to 45 mph during Tuesday morning's winter storm.

PennDOT says it is continuing to treat roadways and advises drivers to keep their distance from plow trucks.

Snow reports are still coming in, but here are a few preliminary totals from around the region, and, as expected, the vary widely.

The next official measurement at Philadelphia International Airport will be taken at 1 p.m.

It will be awhile before the totals are tallied, but as expected, they are going to vary wildly.

Just over 8 inches was measured by a trained observer in Upper Hanover Township, Montgomery County, the National Weather Service reported, and 3- and 4-inch amounts were common in Philly’s neighboring Pennsylvania counties.

In a quick burst Tuesday morning, 2 to 3 inches of heavy, wet snow have accumulated north and west of Philly, and a heavy band was heading toward the city, said Robert Deal, a lead meteorologist at the National Weather Service Office in Mount Holly.

He added that the snow likely will have shut off across the region by 10 a.m.

Tuesday's winter storm is wreaking havoc in travelers passing through Philadelphia International Airport.

At least 30 flights in Philadelphia have been canceled Tuesday, according to FlightAware, while at least 65 more have been delayed. Departures were running on a 45-minute delay Tuesday morning.

A handful of Montgomery County towns have declared snow emergencies ahead of Tuesday’s winter storm.

Both Hatfield Township and Hatfield Borough are under snow emergencies for the duration of the storm, Hatfield police announced. Officials are urging residents to keep all non-essential vehicles off roadways.

Rain is rapidly shifting to sleet and snow across the Philadelphia region.

The snow will become heavy at times during rush hour Tuesday morning, according to the National Weather Service, so conditions on roadways could be dangerous at times.

Many schools in the Philadelphia region are closed or on a modified schedule as rain turns to snow and the commute becomes messy.

With an eye toward Tuesday’s winter weather advisory, all Philadelphia School District schools and its central office will operate on a two-hour delay.

Accumulating snow that changes to rain is a staple of the Philadelphia winter.

Rain changing to accumulating snow is a less-common occurrence around here. But this is the time of winter when it’s most likely to happen, meteorologists say.

Plow contractors charge by inches of snow. Yet not all inches are created equal, as anyone who has ever shoveled snow is aware.

Six inches of snow can be feather-light or feel more like 12 inches, depending on the water content of the flakes.

A possibly disruptive period of heavy snow, with wind gusts to 30 mph, is expected during the Tuesday morning commute, forecasters say, with several inches possible north and west of the city.

Computer model runs on Monday were foreseeing a storm akin to a meteorological fireball exploding off the Mid-Atlantic coast during the morning, throwing back snow in defiance of the recent warm spell. Temperatures hit 50 degrees for the fifth consecutive day in Philly on Monday.