Wgal: Rare blizzard warning keeps Philadelphia region under heavy snow and high winds
wgal — A nor'easter is dumping heavy snow and driving high winds across the Philadelphia region as a rare blizzard warning remains in effect; Willow Grove reported 11 inches of snow (2: 40 a. m. ), and travel is being called very difficult to impossible in many areas.
Wgal: Where the storm is hitting hardest
Snow will continue through Monday, with areas along the shore seeing blizzard-like conditions and whiteout visibility. Clifton Heights recorded 8. 5 inches (2: 15 a. m. ), King of Prussia had 7. 1 inches (1 a. m. ), and Lower Southampton measured 7. 5 inches (2: 30 a. m. ). The snow is piling up across the region and heavier bands have produced rapid accumulations.
High winds, downed branches and power outages
Gusty winds are raising concerns about downed tree branches and isolated power outages; at least 15, 000 people were without power in Southern and Central New Jersey on Sunday evening around 8 p. m. along with scattered outages elsewhere. East Nantmeal Township showed 7. 8 inches (1 a. m. ), and Upper Providence Township posted 5. 5 inches (1: 07 a. m. ), signaling heavy accumulations away from the immediate shore.
Roads, transit and services disrupted
Officials have set a citywide snow emergency in Philadelphia while New Jersey and Delaware declared states of emergency. City schools will go virtual Monday, and trash and recycling collection in Philadelphia is suspended until Wednesday. Amtrak suspended its Keystone Service, which runs between Harrisburg and Philadelphia, until at least noon Monday, and at least 12 trains were canceled Sunday night; Pennsylvanian trains that travel between New York City and Pittsburgh are expected to operate on a normal schedule Monday.
Businesses and deliveries paused, accidents reported
DoorDash halted deliveries as of 9 p. m. Sunday and will not resume before 12 p. m. Monday. Strong wind gusts and heavy snow contributed to accident scenes, including a tractor trailer crash just east of exit two on the Atlantic City Expressway. Jennersville reported 5. 1 inches (9: 13 p. m. ), East Norriton had 4. 5 inches (8: 34 p. m. ), and New Hanover Township showed 4 inches (7: 50 p. m. ), reflecting variable totals tied to narrow, intense snow bands.
Forecasters have warned that banding can produce two-inch-per-hour snowfall rates in pockets, and that pattern has been in evidence overnight. Willow Grove’s 11-inch measurement remains among the highest early totals across the metro area, with multiple townships in the 4–8 inch range through the night.
Snow is expected to continue through Monday; city officials and transit operators have set service changes for Monday, and DoorDash and Amtrak have specified pauses that extend at least into midday Monday. wgal updates and weather briefings note the heavy bands and gusts that have driven rapid accumulation and hazardous travel conditions.
