October snow: Cleanup begins after storm moves through area

Cleanup in our area is well underway after a storm moved through dropping several inches of snow and cutting power to thousands of homes.

Update, 11:00 a.m. (Sunday)

PECO has announced Saturday’s storm was the worst October storm in its history, interrupting power to 250,000 customers. As of 11 a.m., more than 150,000 homes are without power, especially in Bucks, Chester and Montgomery Counties, according to PECO.

PECO expects some customers to be without power throughout the rest of the weekend because of the extent of the damage.

Customers are asked to stay away from damaged electric equipment, fallen trees and downed power lines.

Update, 7:15 a.m. (Sunday)

Cleanup has begun after a storm moved through our area yesterday, dropping snow and forcing dozens of reports of fallen tree branches and thousands of power outages in the Philadelphia area and elsewhere. As of this morning, WPVI-TV reported 750,000 homes were at one point without power due to the storm. 

Phillyweather.net says we’ll see improving weather today, with much of yesterday’s snow expected to melt away today.

Update, 6:30 p.m.

The Associated Press reports Governor Chris Christie has declared a state of emergency in New Jersey due to the winter storm that is making its way through the area.

Update, 5:30 p.m.

Fox 29 reports 160,000 homes in Philadelphia are without power, with a total of nearly 580,000 homes on the east coast reporting outages. Click here to view the PECO outage map.

In its latest update today, posted at 5 p.m., Phillyweather.net says the snow is picking up intensity closer to the city as the band moves east. Snow is expected to fall in Philadelphia within the next hour.  The latest counts show many of the outer suburbs reaching 4-7 inches of snow, as of Saturday evening, 6 p.m. 

Update, 2:30 p.m.

According to Phillyweather.net, a dry-slot is developing, which could provide an hour or two of a break in precipitation in Philadelphia and areas south of the city. However, a second round of precipitation is expected to come northeast from Maryland and Washington D.C., producing snow, sleet and rain along I-95.

Update, 2 p.m.:

Phillyweather.net says the Storm Prediction Center is hinting at the potential for one to two inches of snow per hour across the central and eastern portions of Pennsylvania. Phillyweather.net expects a couple of more hours of precipitation before the conditions start to dry up.

Update, 12:30 p.m.

Phillyweather.net says heavier rounds of snow, sleet and rain are setting up along I-95. Snow is now dropping to the northwest with rain to the east of the city.

Update, 11:00 a.m.

In the latest update from Phillyweather.net at 11 a.m., 1-3 inches were expected to fall in the city, with the potential for Mount Airy and Chestnut Hill to see up to 5 inches.

According to Phillyweather.net’s live weather blog, the suburbs could see 2-5 inches, with the outer burbs ranging from 3″ in the valleys to 8″ in the hills.

Weather cancellations

The storm is forcing some cancellations, including the Halloween in Manayunk event, which was scheduled to take place today from noon to 4 p.m. Organizers say merchants will still be open for trick or treating today and tomorrow.

The Daily Local News reports the weather has canceled several events in Chester County, including the Halloween parades in Downtingtown and Coatesville.

In New Jersey, parts of the state remain under a Winter Storm Warning, issued by the National Weather Service until 2 a.m. Sunday. Meteorologists expect snow to hit areas north and west of Philadelphia today – the storm should pull away by tonight.

Upload your pictures of the storm in the photo gallery above.

 

//