Philadelphia region prepares for an expected major winter weather event

The city of Philadelphia will mobilize more than 1,000 workers for an all-out fight against what is expected to be one of the most significant snowfalls the city has seen in years this weekend.

Mayor Cherelle Parker announced the city will be under a snow emergency beginning 9 p.m. Saturday.

Along with that declaration, the city’s Emergency Operations Center will be activated and winter weather plans will be implemented, said Office of Emergency Management Director Dominc Mireles.

“We’ve been checking and preparing our equipment with the departments of public property, fleet and many others, and we are monitoring our own critical infrastructure including ice patrols at our water intake plants,” he said.

“We are prepared to hunker down, whether that’s our 911 call takers or whether that’s here in the EOC or at the yard supporting the snow operation and to respond throughout this storm.”

Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel warned drivers their cars will be towed if they’re parked on snow emergency routes.

“Stay off the road. We figure if all of us say it, maybe some different people will listen. Maybe you’ll listen to the police department,” he said. “It’s really critical during the height of this storm that they stay off the roads.”

The city will not allow parking on snow emergency routes and will tow any cars there after Saturday night.

Streets included in the city’s snow emergency routes can be found below:

Officials vowed to plow every street in the city and will be using parking lots and snow melters to move the frozen precipitation into the sewer system.

The city has also set up warming centers as part of a Code Blue alert and is helping move those living out on the streets into shelter as necessary.

Schools closed Monday

Philadelphia Public Schools head Tony Watlington said that schools will be closed Monday.

“All schools will send home charged Chromebooks with students, and every day after Monday will be a virtual learning day with the Chromebooks,” he said.

The superintendent urged students to make the best of their snow day, but was jokingly chastised by Bethel.

“We’re inviting students and staff to enjoy this snowfall,” Watlington said. “Commissioner Bethel says don’t enjoy it too much. Sledding is appropriate, snow angels are appropriate. And the commissioner gave us permission … He said it’d be okay to have one or two safe and fun snowball fights.”

SEPTA subways open as long as possible

SEPTA General Manager Scott Sauer said the agency plans to keep as much service running as long as possible.

“Customers should expect impacts to bus, trolley and regional rail service. This will almost certainly include trip cancellations and it is likely we may have to entirely shut down some services,” he said. “We will only operate for as long as it is safe to do so.”

When the weather becomes too bad they will shut down service until the snow can be cleared, Sauer said.

“Whenever possible, we’ll announce service shutdowns at least two hours before they go into effect. So the riders will have time to adjust their travel plans,” he said.

The authority said that the Market-Frankford elevated trains and the Broad Street Line will be kept running because for the most part they are underground and should not be impacted by the weather event.

Sauer said riders should monitor SEPTA’s website and social media to find out what is still running.

Pa. officials expect storm will create dangerous conditions, result in ‘tragedy’

Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency Director Randy Padfield said during a briefing Friday that the storm is likely to increase the risk of incidents such as multivehicle accidents and water main breaks. He said heating systems may fail at congregate care facilities or multifamily buildings. Padfield expects that the use of unconventional heating sources will increase the risk of house fires, and incorrect generator use could result in cases of carbon monoxide poisoning.

“The sad fact is that despite our best attempts, this storm will mostly result in tragedy somewhere in the commonwealth,” Padfield said.

State officials recommended checking on neighbors and clearing snow from around the nearest fire hydrant, so that fire crews can access it if needed.

Safety on the roads

The best way to stay safe is to stay at home, but if you have to venture out, do so with caution, warned Jana Tidwell, manager of public and government affairs for AAA Mid-Atlantic.

“Remove all snow and ice from your car before returning to the road. Not only is that for safety reasons, but it is also the law. Anything that can become dislodged from your car is then potentially a deadly projectile for others on the roadways,” she said. “Give yourself plenty of extra time because you want to significantly reduce your speed so that you can maintain as much control as possible.”

Tidwell added that having a four-wheel-drive vehicle doesn’t guarantee you’ll be able to stop when needed, especially with freezing rain and ice.

“What many people don’t realize is there is no vehicle invincible on a sheet of ice,” she said. “Nothing is going to stop if you start to skid on ice, so don’t let that bring you a false sense of security.”

Tidwell said that staying off the road to give plow drivers a chance to do their job will help clear the roads sooner.

A spokesperson for Philadelphia International Airport said they are urging travelers to consult with their individual airlines for cancellations and changes to flights.

The Philadelphia Parking Authority will have discount parking at their lots as part of the event to help clear the streets.

• AutoPark at Independence Mall (FIfth & Market Streets)
• AutoPark at Jefferson (10th & Ludlow Streets)
• AutoPark at the Fashion District (10th & Filbert Streets)
• AutoPark at Old City (Second & Sansom Streets)
• Parkade on Eighth (801 Filbert Street)
• Philadelphia Family Court Garage (1503-11 Arch Street – Going south on 15th Street, enter the garage on the west side just after 15th & Cherry St.)

To receive the discounted $5 rate, customers must bring their ticket and pay at the PPA Management Office in each garage.

Also during the snow emergency, the PPA will enforce all snow emergency routes and safety violations. Starting at 9 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 24, meter/kiosk and time limit violations on residential blocks will not be enforced until the snow emergency is lifted.

Unprecedented peak electricity demand

The operator of the region’s power grid, PJM Interconnection, said it expects to see record-breaking electricity usage for the next week due to extremely cold temperatures across its entire footprint. PJM manages the electric grid for 13 states and the District of Columbia, an area that serves about 67 million people.

“This is a formidable arctic cold front coming our way, and it will impact our neighboring systems as much as it affects PJM,” Mike Bryson, PJM’s senior vice president for operations, said in a statement. “We will be relying on our generation fleet to perform as well as they did during last year’s record winter peak.”

PJM said it has enough power to last throughout the cold snap this week.

But it expects peak demand to top an unprecedented 130,000 megawatts for each day next week. On Tuesday, when temperatures in some parts of the country are expected to dip into the single digits, PJM said it could break a new daily record on peak load with an expected 147,300 MW of power drawn from the grid. That’s slightly higher than its forecasted peak demand for this winter of 145,700 MW.

PJM has told power generators to halt any maintenance work that would take electricity offline, and to prepare its infrastructure for freezing temperatures.

Snow, ice and downed trees can damage power lines and cause local outages. But the current forecast does not include high winds.

“The good news with this storm, at least right now, is the winds won’t be as severe as we’ve seen with other storms,” said Pennsylvania’s director of  Emergency Management Randy Padfield. “So we think that there will be less potential for significant power outages.”

The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission is advising residents to make sure cell phones and medical devices are fully charged and to have flashlights ready.

The PUC urges people to stay away from electrical infrastructure and to always assume downed power lines are charged.

Meanwhile, natural gas prices have jumped ahead of the cold snap to $8.15 per million British thermal units as people stock up for space heating. The rise could also contribute to higher electricity prices.