‘A NORMAL STORM’
Schools close, but offices remain open during snowfall
Students and teachers across the area received an unexpected day off Thursday, as the first snowstorm of 2018 deposited several inches of snow across the region.
The North Penn and Souderton Area school districts both closed all of their schools and offices Thursday due to snow, and both announced on Thursday afternoon that all schools and offices will be open two hours later than normal start times on Friday.
Drivers on the Northeast Extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike dealt with a major headache during the snowstorm a tractor trailer accident took place around 9:50 a.m. Thursday that blocked the southbound lanes of the Northeast Extension for more than four hours. According to the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, the tractor trailer’s cab unit overturned and blocked all lanes of traffic, requiring drivers to detour from the Quakertown interchange at milepost 44 to the Lansdale interchange at milepost 31 The accident was cleared and the southbound lanes were reopened at around 2:15 p.m., according to PTC.
Several local municipalities stayed open but declared snow emergencies, prohibiting parking on local streets until roads are plowed, or otherwise addressed the winter weather as follows:
Lansdale: No formal snow emergency, but borough offices opened after a twohour delay due to snow. Borough Manager John Ernst said Lansdale was “pretty quiet, no major issues to report” as of 1 p.m. Thursday, and acting Police Chief Michael Trail said police remind residents to be careful as snow stops and temperatures drop.
“With the falling temps, the roads will continue to be slippery overnight. Borough plow trucks have been working very hard to keep the roads open during this first snow of 2018, and will
continue operations into the evening,” he said.
“As a reminder, I am asking residents to check on their neighbors who may need help shoveling, and those who may need assistance as temperatures fall over the next few days,” Trail said.
Hatfield: Township administration building remained open, but police declared a snow emergency for Hatfield township and borough requiring all cars be moved off of local streets to enable road plowing.
Montgomery Township: Effective at 7:15 a.m. Thursday, parking was prohibited on streets designated “snow emergency” routes, and the township warned that vehicles left abandoned in the roadway will be ticketed and towed at the owner’s expense. Public works crews started salting operations at 2:30 a.m., according to Township Manager Larry Gregan. A total of 18 vehicles, including four from the township sewer authority, were on local roads beginning at 7:30 a.m.
“High wind conditions are causing snow to drift across roads even after they have been plowed, so we expect to be out for some time today and tonight clearing snow and salting the streets,” Gregan said.
Some residents did try to visit the township community center Thursday morning to exercise, but the center was later closed for safety reasons. The center and township offices are both expected to reopen as normal on Friday, Gregan said.
North Wales: No formal snow emergency declared, but borough and North Wales Water Authority remind residents to insulate pipes, allow warm air to circulate around plumbing, keep thermostats set high enough to prevent freezing of water lines, and monitor or occasionally run water lines to make sure they do not freeze.
Towamencin: No formal snow emergency declared, but public works crews came on duty at 3:30 a.m. and emergency management personnel have met and stayed in contact with Montgomery County officials all day, according to Township Manager Rob Ford.
“We have one truck that broke and is in for repair, so we are going short one truck. We will be plowing through the afternoon and staying until complete. It’s not a large storm nor is it a heavy snow, so we should be good with what we have,” he said.
Property owners are reminded to check the security and placement of their mailboxes, to remove basketball nets that may be near curbs, to avoid emptying snow from their driveways onto streets, and to clear snow away from any fire hydrant on their property. All private sidewalks are required by ordinance to be shoveled within 24 hours after a snowfall, according to the manager.
Upper Gwynedd: Effective at 8:30 a.m. Thursday, through “24 hours beyond the conclusion of the storm,” all on-street parking is prohibited. Public works crews came on duty at 2:30 a.m. “and will continue snow removal operation until all streets are cleared and resalted,” according to Township Manager Mike Lapinski. Township offices opened normally at 8 a.m., but closed at 2:30 p.m. to let staff safely commute home before sunset.
“It’s a normal snowstorm in Upper Gwynedd,” Lapinski said.