Snow shuts down Delaware

As heavy snowfall blankets the region, the state of Delaware is staying ahead of the storm by shutting down government agencies, schools and businesses early.

Many school districts are releasing students early before the road conditions worsen. The New Castle County Courthouse also closed early as well as New Castle County government offices.

As of 2 p.m. Delaware Governor Jack Markell declaired a State of Emergency with a Level 1 Driving Warning. According to state law, “any person operating a motor vehicle when a Level 1 Driving Warning has been activated shall exercise extra caution in the operation of their motor vehicle. Nonessential employees, regardless of whether employed by a public or private entity, are encouraged not to operate a motor vehicle on the State’s roadways when a Level 1 Driving Warning has been activated, unless there is a significant safety, health or business reason to do so.” 

The General Assembly announced it would not meet at the state capitol in Dover today and all state offices closed at noon, according to the governor’s office.

“Snow has begun falling throughout most of the state and significant snowfall totals are expected,” said Gov. Markell in a statement. “DelDOT crews are actively working to clear primary roads and will continue to do so. We strongly encourage drivers who do not need to travel to delay or refrain from going on the roads to give DelDOT plows time and ability to work. If you don’t need to be driving, stay home until roads are cleared.”

According to DelDOT, more than 400 DelDOT pieces of equipment will be out plowing and salting the roads and helping emergency personnel as needed. In preparation for the storm, DelDOT crews pretreated some roads with a salt and water mixture called brine.

If you are planning to travel in the snow, call ahead to make sure your destination is still open.  The Blood Bank of Delmarva announced it is shutting down for Tuesday and will open an hour late on Wednesday.

You can track road conditions using DelDOT’s live traffic cams and monitor power outages using Delmarva Power’s real-time outage map.