The National Weather Service issued a blizzard warning for Philadelphia and its suburbs for all day Wednesday, as another 10 inches or more of blowing snow is possible. And the latest storm could be a record-setter for Philly.
Philadelphia is closing in on the record for its snowiest winter. Before the current storm, the city was a little over 9 inches shy of the snowiest winter record of 65.5 inches, set in 1995-96.
Cities and municipalities instituted snow emergencies and scores of school districts closed as officials asked people to stay home.
The state Department of Transportation has 2,200 vehicles removing snow, spokesman Steve Chizmar said. PennDOT has also rented about 270 more plows to augment its operations.
"We're holding our own at this point," Chizmar said.
PennDOT and turnpike officials also instituted speed restrictions and banned some commercial traffic, recreational vehicles and motorcycles.
"People have to expect there will be some snow on the roads," PennDOT spokesman Ron Young said. "They'll have to be extra cautious. We try to keep roads passable, but that doesn't mean they'll be completely clear of snow."
Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter urged residents to stay home, if at all possible.
"It's going to be pretty horrendous out there," he said. "The roads are pretty rough right now, although our city forces are out."
Nutter said the city had 300 trucks plowing early Wednesday and would add 150 more as the day wore on - and the weather was expected to worsen.
Nutter also asked residents to check in with elderly neighbors.
"We'll get through this one, but it's going to take a lot of cooperation and a whole lot of patience," he said.
Virtually all flights at Philadelphia International Airport have been canceled through Thursday morning, although two runways are open, airport spokeswoman Victoria Lupica said.
All flights departing from Philadelphia on Tuesday evening got out, meaning no travelers were stranded at the airport, Lupica said.
Philadelphia's public and Archdiocesan schools closed Wednesday, along with virtually all the surrounding districts. In southwestern Pennsylvania, nearly all schools were closed for the third straight day.
Most state offices were closed in Harrisburg, and federal courts in Philadelphia were shut down because of the storm.
In Pittsburgh, Mayor Luke Ravenstahl had the city hire 20 private contractors to bolster its 60-vehicle municipal fleet. The contractors are supplying 50 plows and salt trucks because city crews struggled to clear 21 inches of snow from streets before more arrived overnight.
Utility customers in western Pennsylvania were still grappling with the weekend storm when more snow starting falling. More than 30,000 Allegheny Energy customers were still without power Wednesday morning. About 2,000 Duquesne Light customers won't have power restored until Thursday, according to the company.
At least four inches of snow fell overnight in the Pittsburgh area. Another one to three inches were forecast in lower elevations and three to six inches in the Laurel Highlands and other higher elevations through Wednesday evening.
In the northwest part of the state, which has been spared the heavier snows of the last few days three to five inches of lake-effect snow is expected.
