More snow is on the way for southeastern Pennsylvania as yet another winter storm is set to impact the area Friday.
Projected snow totals have continued to increase, and part of the area is now under a winter storm warning for between 5 and 6 inches of snow. The warning is in effect from 4 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday for Philadelphia, Delaware County, Chester County, eastern Montgomery County and lower Bucks County.
The rest of the region will be under a winter weather advisory during the same time period for a slightly lower snowfall of 2 to 4 inches.
⚠️❄️ Forecast snowfall totals have increased slightly across the area. Snow will begin between 4-7 AM Friday then continue into the evening. Portions of the urban corridor and points east were upgraded to Winter Storm Warnings, where 4-6" is forecast. #PAwx #NJwx #DEwx #MDwx pic.twitter.com/vFaTepY6gR
— NWS Mount Holly (@NWS_MountHolly) January 18, 2024
Slick road conditions are likely, and will lead to a difficult — if not hazardous — morning and evening commute, the weather service warns. With temperatures set to plummet even further after the storm late Friday night, flash freezing of untreated roads is likely.
“PennDOT and Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission crews are actively pre-treating roadways where necessary ahead of the storm to help prevent ice from forming a bond with the pavement during the early stages of a storm,” a PennDOT announcement Thursday afternoon said. “However, salt does not resolve all risks, and drivers may encounter icy spots on the roadway. “
Several road restrictions go into effect at 12:01 a.m. Friday and become more restrictive at 3 a.m.
The entire length of Interstate 80 is going to be under Tier 1 restrictions, which prohibit tractors without trailers, tractors towing unloaded or lightly loaded tandem trailers, passenger vehicles towing trailers, recreation vehicles/motorhomes, school and commercial buses and motorcycles.
Interstate 76 from the PA Turnpike to New Jersey, all of I-78, I-95, I-176, I-295 and I-676, and portions of I-476 and U.S. 22 will be under Tier 2 restrictions, which includes all of the prohibitions in Tier 1, plus commercial vehicles towing loaded tandem trailers without chains or alternate traction devices and all loaded or unloaded school buses, commercial buses, and motor coaches regardless of the availability of chains or ATDs.
Visit www.511PA.com for the latest roadway conditions and updates.
Also, PennDOT’s snow plow tracker shows the location of its roughly 2,200 plow trucks. They are all equipped with automated vehicle location systems that send a cellular signal to show where the truck is and how much material is being spread from it.
In addition to showing the current location of a plow truck, the map will show its entire route, and which roads have already been treated.
You can view the snow plow tracker at 511pa.com by checking off the box for “PennDOT plow trucks” on the map.
Light snow is expected to develop early Friday morning, later than initially expected, and will continue throughout the day as surface low pressure moving over the Ohio Valley transfers to a strengthening low developing off the mid-Atlantic coast, according to the weather service forecast discussion.
Unlike the storm earlier this week that saw snow turn to rain, temperatures are expected to remain below freezing, keeping the precipitation as all snow, the forecast discussion notes.
Coming in behind the storm will be another arctic air mass that will cause low temperatures to drop from the 20s Friday night to the teens Saturday morning, according to the weather service. Wind chill values will range from single digits to as low as 10 below zero.
The deep freeze will last through the weekend, before things warm up, relatively speaking, early next week. Temperatures by Tuesday and Wednesday should be around average for this time of year.
