Heavy snow wallops region
The region weathered its first major snowstorm Wednesday but total snowfall for the area was predicted to fall into distinct zones.
As The Mercury went to press Wednesday evening, it was too early to get final tallies on snowfall, however, there was no doubt it was falling fast and furious even before the sun went down.
Predicted accumulations for Western Montgomery, Northern Chester and Berks counties were tagged for a total between 12 and 18 inches.
Areas closer to Philadelphia
were forecast to get between 6 to 8 inches.
But that forecast did not daunt 3-year-old Myriam Vas who was out in front of her house on North Hanover Street in Pottstown showing off her shoveling skills.
Nor did the weather stop Adam Burke and Bill Rutter from enjoying the weather and the hospitality at the Iron Gate Bierberten on High Street.
Burke runs Pottstown United Brewing and Rutter owns Mom’s Place and the Stonehouse Grill in Phoenixville.
Both were out, with a fire pit and tents, to show that despite an indoor dining ban due to the coronavirus pandemic, the hospitality of the season could still be enjoyed for those hardy enough to pursue it.
Over at Rupert Elementary School, Laura Spiece, 6, and her brother Sid, 9, were pursuing only one thing — fun.
Laura gave a detailed description of the elaborate game she and her brother had invented called Snow Queen and Snow King and which evidently involved sliding down the slides to keep them clear of snow.
The snow accumulated quickly and, being wet slick snow, with some sleet predicted, it wasn’t long before borough streets were quite slippery.
By 3 p.m., PennDOT had already reduced maximum speeds on major highways, including Route 422.
That’s not surprising given that forecasts predicted accumulation of between 1 to 2 inches an hour.
Snow emergencies were also declared across the region, from Phoenixville to Birdsboro.
Vehicles not removed from snow emergency routes in Phoenixville will be towed.
Just after 5 p.m. Pottsgrove schools, which had only returned to classes three days earlier, announced all schools will be closed Thursday due to the storm.
Pottstown announced that PART bus lines would stop running at 6 p.m.
The snow is forecast to continue through the night into Thursday.
Montgomery County officials warned, “the heavy, wet snow expected with this storm may cause widespread power outages, the impact of which will be enhanced by a significant drop in temperatures later this week.”
Rather than call 911 if power is lost, residents are urged to call their power utility to report the outage.
The numbers are:
• PECO: 1-800-841-4141
• PPL: 1-800-342-5775
• Met-Ed: 1-888-5444877
“We currently have crews and contractors preparing to respond to potential outages. In the event of outages, our crews will work around the clock until every last customer is restored,” PECO reported in a press release issued Wednesday afternoon.
By 5 p.m. Wednesday, PECO was already reporting 30 outages affecting 535 customers.
Partly cloudy skies are forecast for the remainder of the week into the weekend with temperatures hovering in the 34 to 40-degree range.