A Winter Storm Warning remained in effect as crews waged an all-day battle and the governor advised employers to closely watch conditions.
There were concerns that some businesses might have stayed on normal work schedules on Thursday after seeing clear roads earlier in the morning. Conditions have since deteriorated, with law enforcement advising motorists to stay off roads.
Christiana Mall confirmed it would close at 2 p.m. on Thursday after announcing it would operate during normal business hours. A few stores announced they would not open for the day and the mall’s Facebook page contained a number of posts criticizing the decision and its impact on employees.
Temperatures remained above freezing during the night, but dropped toward the freezing mark during the morning commute. The Delaware DEOS system reported 6.4 inches in Greenville, 5.6 inches in Hockessin, 3.2 inches in Newark and 3.3 inches in Dover. No accumulation was reported at Lewes and Rehoboth.
Traffic was light during the day as government offices and schools were closed.
Gov. Jack Markell issued the following statement: “Given the timing and predicted snow totals, the DelDOT crews will be out statewide today. Roads may be clear through the morning rush hour, but the expected snow mid-day will force DelDOT crews to focus their efforts on keeping the primary roads clear. As a result, secondary and tertiary roads are likely to be snow-covered for a longer period of time. The afternoon commute may be particularly difficult, depending on snow totals, and employers are encouraged to take into account conditions later in the day. We suggest drivers who do not need to travel refrain from going on the roads today, particularly during the heaviest snowfall, to give DelDOT plows time and ability to work.”
In an updated briefing on Thursday morning, Markell noted that storm system moved into Delaware much more slowly than originally expected. However, the National Weather Service continues to forecast 4-8 inches of snow in New Castle and Kent Counties, and 4-6 inches in Sussex County.
He also noted that temperatures will drop overnight, “resulting in low temperature at sunrise Friday in the single digits.” The state instituted its Code Blue program, which adds shelter options for the homeless.
An earlier release from the Delaware Department of Transportation said plowing will be made difficult by the inability to use salt on roads, due to the current rainfall.
Instead, trucks must be loaded and put in position to plow once the snow begins falling. In addition, forecasters are calling for unseasonably cold temperatures, which makes the salt much less effective at melting snow or ice.
Delmarva Power reported that heavy, wet snow and ice could weigh down tree limbs that could come into contact with power lines and cause outages. The utility noted that the soil is saturated and trees could fall, causing additional outages. So far, few outages were reported.
Are weather scientists working overtime, or playing tic tat toe with chem-trails???