Philadelphia

Freezing Temps, Ice Lead to Dangerous Roads

The snow has ended but the bitter cold has just begun.

The snow moved out Tuesday afternoon after causing messy roads in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware.

Snow began falling in Delaware around 5:30 a.m. and quickly spread to the rest of our viewing area during the morning rush.

The storm system, referred to as an "Alberta Clipper" -- a fast-moving storm that comes in from the area of Alberta, Canada -- brought an inch to two inches of snow to many areas.

Clippers generally don’t produce much snow, and this one was no exception, but there was enough to cause headaches for travelers at Philadelphia International Airport where a ground stop was in effect until about 11:40 a.m.

Despite preparations made by PennDOT, DelDOT and NJDOT, below freezing temperatures caused some precipitation to stick to roadways making for slick conditions. Weather-related accidents clogged major arteries Tuesday morning like the Pa. Turnpike at the Northeast extension and I-76 east in Morgantown, Berks County.

Very light snow continued through the early afternoon and then tapered off completely before the evening commute. 

Driving conditions grew worse overnight as temperatures dropped even lower causing ice on roads.

“It’s just pure ice,” said Debbie Eckhardt of Manayunk. “You can’t even walk on it. It’s very frustrating. You can’t get around at all.”

Eckhardt, who lives on Ogle Street, told NBC10 she hasn’t seen one plow since the snow began Tuesday morning.

“A lot of the streets in Manayunk are not plowed which is bad because it’s all hills.”

The slick roads led to a fatal crash in the West Oak lane section of the city. They also may have been the cause of an accident earlier Tuesday night in which an SUV crashed into a building on Walnut Street. Fortunately no one was seriously hurt in that accident. 

“The ground is still wet,” said Joe Greene of Center City Towing. “Because the ground is still wet everything is going to freeze over.”

Greene, a tow truck driver, told NBC10 he’s been busy the entire night due to weather-related accidents.

“I’ve been to about ten accidents so far today,” he said. “Right now it’s getting cold, the weather is dropping. The bridges freeze before regular roads. Everyone needs to be careful tonight.”

Several vehicles also lost control on Roosevelt Boulevard, which is covered with black ice.

Waking up Wednesday, temps will feel like they're in the teens and won't improve much throughout the day. Our high will be just 26 and winds will be gusty.

Thursday will be the coldest day of the week with a high of just 23 and wind chills making it feel like it's 10 below zero despite the sunny skies. 

We'll warm — slightly — as we head into the weekend with temps in the mid-30s.

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