All the St. Patrick’s Day green could be covered up in white as yet another winter storm is set to blanket parts of the area in snow.
NBC10 First Alert Meteorologist Glenn "Hurricane" Schwartz says the winter weather system could drop up to eight inches of snow in parts of our region, but there is a sharp cut off between those areas and other parts that will receive hardly any snow.
While it is unclear exactly where exactly the dividing line will be, Hurricane says: "Delaware and South Jersey are not going to escape this."
Authorities activated the Delaware Emergency Operations Center at midnight Monday. Officials warn commuters that the morning commute will be treacherous and to avoid driving if possible.
A Winter Weather Warning is in effect for Central Delaware(Kent and Sussex Counties) as well as extreme South Jersey(Cape May County). Central and southern Delaware and South Jersey are expected to receive the most accumulation, while the Lehigh Valley won't see much if any accumulation at all.
The National Weather Service issued a Winter Weather Advisory for Middlesex and Monmouth counties in New Jersey, and eastern Montgomery, Lower Bucks, Delaware, Chester and Philadelphia counties in Pennsylvania. The advisory, which means periods of snow will cause travel difficulties, begins at 8 p.m. Sunday and continues to noon Monday.
Officials with Atlantic City announced Sunday that they are delaying office openings for non-essential employees to 11 a.m. Monday.
The storm, which developed off the west coast of the United States, is currently racing across the country and should arrive by Sunday evening delivering a wintry mix of rain and snow. That mix will then change to snow overnight.
The system will hit Delaware and the Jersey Shore around 8 p.m., turn into snow after midnight and then start to taper off around 8 a.m. Monday. The peak of the storm will hit the areas south of the city between 1 a.m. and 6 a.m.
In the Philadelphia area, the system won't move in until around 11 p.m., starting out as a wintry mix. It could change over to snow around 2 a.m. and continue until 7 a.m., but Hurricane says Philadelphia is right on the edge of this sytem making it difficult to predict the amount of accumulation.
Given the timing, the Monday morning rush could be affected by the storm, especially in South Jersey, Delaware, and Philadelphia.
Regional Timeline
Midnight - 6 a.m. - Heaviest snow falling in South Jersey and Delaware. Light snowfall with some accumulation in Philadelphia and the I-95 corridor.
6 a.m. - 8 a.m. - Snow tapers off.
8 a.m. - 10 a.m. - Snow moves out of Philly region. Light snow continues to fall in South Jersey and Delaware.
10 a.m. - 3 p.m. - Light snow continues in South Jersey and Delaware, causing slippery road conditions before the storm moves out of those areas.
PM Rush Hour - Roads in South Jersey and Delaware will be wet so remain cautious.
While the latest computer models show that much of South Jersey and Delaware could see the worst of the storm, the Lehigh Valley and the Poconos likely won't see any snow at all.
Expected Snow Totals
Lehigh Valley - Little to no accumulation
Lower Montgomery County, Lower Bucks County, North Philadelphia - Less than 2 inches
South Philly, Chester County, Delaware County, Central Jersey - 2 to 4 inches
South Jersey & Northern Delaware- 4 to 6 inches
Cape May County, Southern and Central Delaware - 6 to 8 inches
Hurricane says the snow will continue to fall until around 8 a.m. Monday when the storm finally moves out. The winds will pick up, however.
With the worst of the storm expected to hit South Jersey and Delaware, DelDOT began making preparations Sunday afternoon.
Crews in New Castle and Sussex County pretreated roads with brine. DelDOT officials are urging drivers to delay their morning commute if possible and give themselves extra time to reach their destinations if they have to drive.
Stay with NBC10.com and our mobile apps to get the most up-to-date information on this storm through the day.
