Second Blizzard in Three Days Slams Philadelphia

For the second time in three days, Philadelphia was hit with a major snowstorm. In my younger, wilder misspent youth, today would have been one of those days I stuck a bottle of champagne in the snow outside. Today I settled for some sparkling cider.

Mother Nature sent this snow baby a doozey of a birthday present today when the second nor'easter in three days slammed the City. Beginning around 8:00 p.m., it snowed all night, before changing over to sleet and rain for another four hours. The storm system then "boomeranged," and changed back to snow in mid-morning, the blizzard conditions returning with a vengeance. It is expected to snow until at least midnight, and then taper off into flurries. Happy Birthday to me!

This storm is expected to break the record for the most snow in Philadelphia since the Blizzard of 1996. KYW Radio reports that over 70 inches have fallen this winter, breaking the record of 65.5 inches during the 1995-96 winter season.

Schools, government offices and most businesses were closed and will remain closed through tomorrow. At 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, February 10th, SEPTA cancelled all surface bus routes until Thursday morning. Major highways, including the Pennsylvania Turnpike, shut down or had reduced speed limits. Routes 78 and 83 were closed, and I-81 was closed from the Maryland state line to I-80. The Northeast Extension of the Turnpike was closed for a time, but reopened with speed restrictions. The Schuylkill Expressway (I-76), The Blue Route (I-476), The Vine Street Expressway (I-676) and The Roosevelt Extension were all closed at 2:00 p.m. so crews could plow them. This left Interstate 95 as the only major artery open through the city.

The mayor has asked everyone to stay off the roads unless absolutely necessary. Philadelphia streets commissioner Clarena Tolson announced that trash and recycling pick-ups will be delayed indefinitely. "We're going to have to hold our trash collection. We're converting all of our trash trucks over to snow plows."

The mister was out again with his snowblower today, but tomorrow he'll have to do it all over again. This storm dumped at least two feet of snow in the northeast section of Philadelphia, on top of the 18 to 24 inches that fell on Saturday. Side streets that residents had just dug out on Sunday are again buried, and city plows cannot get down some of these streets because they are so narrow. . As darkness fell the wind picked up, blowing snow into three-foot drifts and buffeting the already snow-laden trees.

Preliminary reports hint that we could see even more snow this coming Monday. I'm starting to feel like I'm a bit player in Stephen King's miniseries, "Storm of the Century." But I like it, I really do! So, in answer to the question all my snow-hating friends and relatives have been calling me with today, "YES, I'm HAPPY now!"

SLIDESHOW; SOURCES:Rendell orders road closures; Storm is a Record Breaker; Blizzard Warnings in Effect Until Midnight; Highways closed; SEPTA pulls buses from streets