Philadelphia Ditches Snow Emergency, But Frigid Temps Complicate Cleanup
The City of Philadelphia has lifted its snow emergency, but with winter's grip still firmly in place, residents are bracing for more challenges ahead. A blast of frigid air is expected to hit the city today, bringing temperatures that will make cleanup efforts all the more difficult.
As the cold front moves in, temperatures will soar to a mere 21 degrees, only to drop to a bone-chilling 7 degrees by Tuesday night. The National Weather Service warns that wind chill values will plummet even lower, making it harder for crews to navigate and clear snow from streets.
"It's about to hit a deep freeze," said Carlton Williams, director of the city's Office of Clean & Green Initiatives. "It makes it that much more difficult to plow frozen materials."
Despite the increased difficulty, over 800 vehicles and equipment have been deployed since the weekend to tackle the massive snowfall. The Streets Department has already melted an impressive 900 tons of snow, but with temperatures expected to remain in the single digits for days, crews will face significant challenges in keeping up.
Mayor Cherelle Parker had called for residential streets to be cleared earlier than usual, and while they won't be completely snow-free, they'll be safe to travel on. However, residents are still being urged to stay off the roads as much as possible, with city offices and courts closed today and schools operating remotely.
The city's snow emergency was lifted early Tuesday morning, but the impact of the cold snap is likely to be felt for days to come. Motorists who had their vehicles relocated during the emergency can contact (215) 686-7669 for information on where they are located.
The City of Philadelphia has lifted its snow emergency, but with winter's grip still firmly in place, residents are bracing for more challenges ahead. A blast of frigid air is expected to hit the city today, bringing temperatures that will make cleanup efforts all the more difficult.
As the cold front moves in, temperatures will soar to a mere 21 degrees, only to drop to a bone-chilling 7 degrees by Tuesday night. The National Weather Service warns that wind chill values will plummet even lower, making it harder for crews to navigate and clear snow from streets.
"It's about to hit a deep freeze," said Carlton Williams, director of the city's Office of Clean & Green Initiatives. "It makes it that much more difficult to plow frozen materials."
Despite the increased difficulty, over 800 vehicles and equipment have been deployed since the weekend to tackle the massive snowfall. The Streets Department has already melted an impressive 900 tons of snow, but with temperatures expected to remain in the single digits for days, crews will face significant challenges in keeping up.
Mayor Cherelle Parker had called for residential streets to be cleared earlier than usual, and while they won't be completely snow-free, they'll be safe to travel on. However, residents are still being urged to stay off the roads as much as possible, with city offices and courts closed today and schools operating remotely.
The city's snow emergency was lifted early Tuesday morning, but the impact of the cold snap is likely to be felt for days to come. Motorists who had their vehicles relocated during the emergency can contact (215) 686-7669 for information on where they are located.
its so hard for people to deal with especially those who dont have the resources to just stay indoors, like low income fams or seniors i saw some pics of ppl shoveling their own driveways and it was like wow how are you even doing that? 
anyway hopefully the city can get everything sorted out soon
That's just ridiculous. And now they're saying we have to stay off the roads? Are you kidding me?! 
My car is still in the driveway from last weekend's snowstorm and it's been a nightmare trying to get out of there... I hope the city can somehow manage to melt some more snow, but honestly, I'm not holding my breath 
. And what's with all these temps fluctuating? It's like the weather can't even make up its mind! 
. They already melted a lot of snow but now it's all frozen again and stuff. The city is trying to keep up tho, they got a lot of vehicles and equipment out there 
. But honestly, who knows when we'll get to go outside without freezing our buns off 
it's like, i get that the city has lifted the emergency, but it's just not going to magically disappear overnight. and ugh, 7 degrees? that's crazy cold 
️
! I mean, I know we Philly folks are used to a little snow and all that, but frigid temps? That's just crazy! 
! First, it's a snow emergency, then suddenly no more, but now we're bracing for more? Like, can't we just get some consistent weather here?! 
Temperatures are literally going from scorching hot to freezing cold in an instant - I feel like I need a thermostat reset every hour! 
. I mean, I get it, 21 degrees isn't that bad, but 7 degrees? That's like, arctic tundra stuff! 
And don't even get me started on the wind chill values... I'm pretty sure my nose hairs are gonna freeze off 
.
. I'm glad residential streets are being cleared, but can we just have a global warming day for once? 
. Bring it on! 
It's like they're playing some sort of cruel joke on us. And don't even get me started on those crews out there trying to melt all that snow... I'm sure they'll need hot chocolate to get through this 
. We just dealt with it like adults. We salted the roads, shoveled our own sidewalks, and for goodness sake, used our common sense 
! Our snow crew is doing their best to clear the streets, but it's like they're playing a game of Russian roulette with icy roads 