Delco gets ready to tango with ‘bombogenesis’
A high impact storm that comes in the aftermath of winddriven record cold was expected to strike overnight Wednesday as a winter hurricane-type storm spanning from the Carolinas to Nova Scotia battered the East Coast.
Schools in Delaware County began announcing school closures Wednesday evening.
The Chester Upland School District will be closed through the end of the week due to a lack of heat. Officials said Tuesday that it would take a couple days for a temporary boiler to be installed and heat the building to a comfortable temperature.
All archdiocesan high schools and parochial elementary schools in the city of Philadelphia will be closed Thursday, while Catholic schools in the suburban counties have been instructed to follow the decision of corresponding local public school districts.
Widener Partnership Charter School and Drexel Neumann Academy will be closed Thursday.
Overnight into Thursday, heavy and blowing snow is expected, and commuters should plan on difficult travel conditions, especially during the morning commute. Tree branches could fall as well.
Total snow accumulations could be as much as 5 to 7 inches before 7 p.m. Thursday. The National Weather Service is warning of gusts in the Delaware Valley reaching as high as 45 mph that will cause areas of blowing and drifting snow. Scattered power outages could develop Thursday and Friday, which could cause unbearable conditions as temperatures drop to 10 degrees Thursday night, 6 degrees Friday night and a -1 degree low on Saturday.
SEPTA is taking precautions in Philadelphia to make sure service is on track starting Thursday morning at 5 a.m. Train cars for both the Broad Street Line subway and the Market-Frankford Line will be stored in subway tunnels overnight to keep the rail cars warmer than they would be if stored at rail yards.
During periods of extreme cold, SEPTA will place speed restrictions on Regional Rail and the Route 101 and 102 trolleys for overhead wire and track concerns. Heaters are used on track switches to prevent freezing and crews are in the field to remove ice from overhead wires, or deal with other issues that may come up.
SEPTA will also place buses at key locations should they be needed for passengers.
Meteorologists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have dubbed this particular storm as going through “explosive cyclogenesis” as it travels along its northward track.
Rest assured, NOAA said it’s less scary than it sounds.
Explosive cyclogenesis, or more commonly shortened to “bombogenesis,” occurs when a storm rapidly intensifies over a 24-hour period. Experts compared the extremely low central pressure system, which is expected to drop at least 24 millibars over 24 hours, to that of Hurricane Sandy.
A storm’s pressure is calculated in the amount of force it exerts on the ground. A storm with a lower pressure system allows for the ocean to rise higher, causing the potential for flooding.
The nor’easter is expected first to batter the Jersey Shore, where blizzard warnings are in effect with the possibility of 50 mph gusts.
Ready.gov, a national service focused on helping Americans mitigate and respond to emergencies, offered advice for the winter storm.
Stay indoors if possible. Before driving, let someone know your destination, route, and expected time of arrival. If your car gets stuck, it’ll be easier to find you.
If you lose feeling and color in your nose, ears, hands, or feet, cover the exposed area, avoid rubbing your skin, and seek medical help immediately. You may have frostbite.
When shoveling snow, take breaks and lift lighter loads. Working too hard can lead to heart attacks.
Stay dry. Wet clothes make you lose body heat, increasing your risk of hypothermia.
Total snow accumulations could be as much as 5 to 7 inches before 7 p.m. Thursday. The National Weather Service is warning of gusts in the Delaware Valley reaching as high as 45 mph that will cause areas of blowing and drifting snow. Scattered power outages could develop Thursday and Friday, which could cause unbearable conditions as temperatures drop to 10 degrees Thursday night, 6 degrees Friday night and a -1 degree low on Saturday.