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PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Snowfall accumulations exceeded 10 inches in parts of suburban Philadelphia on Thursday, as accidents closed highways in eastern Pennsylvania, flights and trains were canceled and the snow was sure to cause more problems Friday.
Already, Amtrak was canceling a handful of trains coming and leaving Philadelphia on Friday, schools were announcing two-hour delays and the state Department of Transportation was warning motorists to beware of refreezing on roadways with temperatures dropping to single digits overnight.
PennDOT said its trucks were going to spend the night plowing and deicing in the Philadelphia region.
Snowfall hit 10 to 11 inches in Berks, Lehigh and Montgomery counties, according to National Weather Service spotters. Most areas around Pittsburgh received 2 to 6 inches, while many other counties in southern and southeastern Pennsylvania recorded 8 to 10 inches in spots.
Accidents shut down lanes of the Pennsylvania Turnpike for much of Thursday afternoon between Valley Forge and Downingtown, while sections of Interstates 78, 81, 83 and 70 were shut down in one direction during part of the day. PennDOT and the turnpike commission also lowered speeds to 45 mph on numerous sections of highway in eastern Pennsylvania for parts of Thursday.
At least 250 flights in and out of Philadelphia International Airport were canceled Thursday.
Meanwhile, a PennDOT snow plow slid off the road in Indiana County, hitting a freight train, but causing no injuries. In western Pennsylvania, ice jams on the Youghiogheny River in Fayette County damaged a marina and raised flooding concerns.
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