273 Accidents, 600 911 Calls, Snow Totals: Montco Storm Updates

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, PA — Around four to eight inches of snow fell across Montgomery County Wednesday into early Thursday, as the region was hit with the most significant winter storm in years. See the latest town-by-town snowfall totals here.

The Norristown area received 8.5 inches, according to National Weather Service estimates, with around 6 inches reported in places like Skippack, Valley Forge, Ambler, and Royersford.

>>Who Got The Most Snow? Eastern PA Town-By-Town Snow Totals

The county had a total of 273 accidents on the roads from noon Wednesday through mid-morning Thursday, according to the Montgomery County Department of Public Safety. Additionally, there were 202 disabled vehicles reported.

The height of the storm saw 911 operators working overtime, as 602 calls were fielded between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. Wednesday, officials added.

But with the county's large snowplow fleet taking to the streets, no significant road closures were reported.

Schools around the area announced either a shift to fully virtual learning Thursday, or, in other cases, a traditional snow day. North Penn and Abington were among the local districts giving students (and teachers) a piece of joy and normalcy in a topsy-turvy 2020 by canceling all classes.

SEPTA returned to a mostly regular schedule around the county after altering several routes Wednesday, including suspending the Norristown High Speed Line overnight.

Meanwhile on regional rail, the Manayunk/Norristown and Lansdale/Doylestown lines experienced slight delays early Thursday, but were operating on a normal schedule.

Officials had urged residents to stay off the roads during the height of the storm, and to be aware for power outages. Around 400 Montgomery County customers were without power just before midnight, though that number had dropped to just 35 by Thursday morning.

"It's really beautiful, but the snow is also wet and heavy," Montgomery County Commissioner Val Arkoosh said Wednesday.

Local utility companies should be called to report outages, not 911.

The storm also led local businesses to close. The Plymouth Meeting Mall was among those to shut its doors early at 5 p.m. Wednesday.

The final totals were less than what was forecasted. A total of 8 to 14 inches was predicted in the eastern part of the county, while the western rural parts are slated to see 9 to 16 inches, according to the latest update from the National Weather Service Wednesday afternoon.

Just east of the county line in Philadelphia, predicted snowfall was between 4 and 8 inches. The difference is due to a distinct line in the storm's intensity passing through the region.

"A sharp gradient in accumulations is expected just east of the county's border with Philadelphia," the Montgomery County Department of Public Safety noted.

Meterologist and harbinger of nature's fury Jim Cantore, who is in eastern Pennsylvania Thursday for the storm, also noted this quirk in the forecast.

Much of the region is under a Winter Storm Warning, and Montgomery County has declared a code blue cold weather emergency. Meanwhile, many municipalities across the county including Norristown, Lansdale, Lower Merion, and Royersford have issued snow emergencies and alerts. This means that residents must move their vehicles off of designated snow routes to allow snow plows to do their work.

Several major highways in the county are restricted, meaning large vehicles like school buses and tractors without trailers, as well as motorcycles, are not allowed. Restricted roads include I-95, I-76, I-476, and more.

"I strongly encourage all Montgomery County residents to stay home during the winter storm and avoid travel unless absolutely necessary," Montgomery County Commissioner Val Arkoosh said Tuesday.

The county maintains more than 75 miles of roadway and 131 bridges, which they said is the equivalent of 150 "snow lane miles" — counting the lanes of a road into the equation — that need to be covered. To handle that load, the county has 14 snowplow drivers, eight subcontracted road workers, 11 tucks with both salt spreaders, two dump trucks with plows, and three front-end loaders used to fill trucks with salt, and replace salt at the county's storage facilities.

The county's COVID-19 testing sites close at noon on Wednesday, and will be shut down Thursday.

Outages can be reported at PECO's website, where there is also a viewable map of current outages with information about the cause and expected times for restoring power.

This article originally appeared on the Norristown Patch