Friday brought Philadelphia's first significant snowfall in nearly two years, with 3-4 inches piling up in much of the city. The National Weather Service forecasts up to 7 inches of snow could fall in parts of the region by the time the storm clears in the evening.
Philadelphia's snow emergency, which took effect at 7 a.m. Friday, lifted at 7 p.m. Crews will plow roadways throughout the night.
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"Right now, we've completed and treated about 75% of all roads in the city of Philadelphia — primary, secondary and what we call tertiary, those residential side streets," Carlton Williams, director of the city's Office of Clean and Green Initiatives, said at a 4 p.m. press conference. "We'll continue to treat those throughout the evening until we get one or two passes at 100% each."
Snowfall began tapering off in the city around 4:30 p.m, officials said. The next phase of the storm response will be to deal with the freezing caused by temperatures falling into the 20s Friday night. The National Weather Service's winter weather advisory is in effect until 10 p.m.
"This could be the most dangerous part of the event because of the freezing temperatures," Williams said, urging people to stay off roadways. "It may look safe now, but that could change very quickly as temperatures begin to plummet."
Until the snow emergency is lifted, the city's emergency routes must be clear of parked cars to allow those streets to be plowed. Philly has more than 110 miles of snow emergency routes, including the entirety of Broad Street, City Avenue and the Ben Franklin Parkway and most of Roosevelt Boulevard. On the city's website, there is a map and list of all the streets that are snow emergency routes.
Any vehicles remaining on these routes during the snow emergency will be ticketed and towed to other parking spots. If one's vehicle has been towed, 215-686-SNOW (7669) can be called and pressing 4 will connect to assistance. The city asks residents not to call 911 with inquiries about cars removed from snow emergency routes.
On Friday afternoon, the city had more than 300 pieces of snow equipment out plowing, salting and brining the streets. That number will expand to about 450 in the evening. Once major routes have been cleared, the city will take 311 complaints and send crews to locations that have either frozen over or haven't been safely cleared.
"The refreezing part of it — even though (we) may have treated it — could freeze back over and then we want to get back over as quickly as possible," Williams said.
Philadelphia began clearing and treating the city's primary and secondary roads in some neighborhoods by mid-morning Friday. Residents can track the plow trucks' progress online.
City officials stressed that Philly residents are required to shovel a path at least three feet wide along the sidewalks in front of their properties. This must be done within six hours after snow stops falling. If not, city residents run the risk of being fined anywhere from $50 to $300 per violation. The city shared information on how residents can ensure their shoveling complies with regulations, including not moving snow onto the streets, which can hamper city workers' efforts to keep roadways clear.
Friday's snow resulted in the closures of all Free Library branches, city health centers, courts, recreation centers and public schools. The Archdiocese of Philadelphia closed all parochial elementary schools and held flexible instruction for archdiocesan high schools. Some Catholic grade schools in the suburbs also were closed.
The Code Blue issued Sunday remains in effect. The city is conducting 24-hour outreach helping people who are homeless get to shelters, which have set up extra beds. If a resident sees a person who is homeless outside during the Code Blue, Philadelphia's outreach hotline can be called at 215-232-1984.
"We have warm beds available for everybody who needs them," Philadelphia's managing director Adam Thiel said.
Trash and recycling will not be collected by the city Friday because sanitation crews and vehicles are being diverted for snow removal. This week, because of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, trash collection already was a day behind. As a result of the snow, trash and recycling collections are suspended Saturday. Residents who normally have Friday pickups, which would have been collected this Saturday, should hold on to their garbage until next Friday or bring it to sanitation convenience center.
The city has posted additional resources and advisories online.
SEPTA continues to recommend commuters plan their trips with additional travel time and use the Broad Street and Market-Frankford lines. Updates on specific lines can be found on SEPTA's website and social media accounts. Similarly, delays at Philadelphia International Airport are expected. Fliers should check with their airlines for flight updates.
The city's Office of Emergency Management points to its ReadyPhiladelphia alert system, which sends weather updates and additional emergency alerts via text and email.
In Coatesville, Chester County and Media, Delaware County, the NWS forecast also predicted as much as 7 inches of snow to fall Friday. North of the city, in Doylestown, Bucks County, the forecast called for 3-5 inches of snow during the daytime. Norristown, in Montgomery County, could get as much as 7 inches.
In South Jersey, between 4-6 inches of snow was forecast Friday, with the most falling in Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, Ocean and Salem counties. Cherry Hill and Hammonton are expected to get between 3-7 inches of snow, while shore areas like Atlantic City, Wildwood and Ocean City are expecting 1-3 inches, the NWS said.
On Saturday, the Philadelphia region will have mostly sunny skies. Temperatures in the city will be in the mid-20s during the day. By Saturday night, temperatures are expected to fall to around 16 degrees.
"Tomorrow it's still going to be cold. It's still going to be icy," Thiel said Friday afternoon. "You really need to be cautious."
NOTE: This story will be updated as new information becomes available.