Philadelphia Is Buried, Super-Cold, and Mostly Closed for Business

The snow — 12 inches! — appears to be over. The bitter cold? It’s just begun. And the mixture of cold, wind and snow means means much of Philly is shut down today: Schools are closed, while SEPTA is operating — but not at full capacity. City offices and state courts will also be closed

School District of Philadelphia: “Due to the severe weather forecast, all School District of Philadelphia schools and Administrative Offices will be closed on Wednesday, January 22, 2014.  Also closed are all early childhood and after school programs.” Parochial schools are also closed. NBC 10 has a fairly complete list of regional school closings.

Here’s SEPTA’s status as of 5 am:

Bus:
Routes 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 123, 132: Service is suspended until further notice.
Route 139: Service has resumed. Expect residual delays while full operations are restored.
Route 204: Service is operating with delays up to 60 minutes due to weather conditions.
Route L: Buses are cutting back at Bethlehem Pike Loop. See System Status for details.

Market-Frankford and Broad Street lines are both operating, but SEPTA warns that regional rail trains may be delayed by the weather.

The Inquirer reports that Philadelphia Airport has canceled hundreds of flights:

Philadelphia International Airport had about 593 canceled arriving and departing flights as of Tuesday afternoon.

Airport spokeswoman Victoria Lupica said at 3:30 p.m. there were “very few people” in the terminals. She said one runway was open, and the airport was operational.

“For the most part, airlines are winding down the operations and preparing for the evening and getting back to normal tomorrow,” Lupica said. “We are planning for another 40 departures, including US Airways international arrivals and departures” which land and take-off in late afternoon and evening.

With flyers postponed, even the Flyers are postponed. CBS Sports reports: “The game scheduled for Tuesday night in Philadelphia between the Flyers and the Carolina Hurricanes has been postponed because of the massive snow storm pelting the East Coast. A snow emergency was declared earlier on Tuesday in Philadelphia. … The game originally scheduled for Tuesday that was snowed out will now be played on Wednesday at 6 ET in Philadelphia. The Flyers will then travel to Columbus for a game on Thursday night while the Hurricanes will play in Buffalo on Thursday.”

It’s not just Philly. 6ABC reports: “Gov. Chris Christie issued a state of emergency Tuesday as a major winter storm socked New Jersey with snow and gusty winds, turning the afternoon commute into a tangled mess and forcing hundreds of cancellations at area airports. … By late Tuesday afternoon, state police said there had been 238 reported motor vehicle accidents and 354 incidents where motorists needed aid.”

Delaware, too. The News-Journal: “Gov. Jack Markell declared a state of emergency mid-afternoon due to poor visibility and high winds in the forecast. He put the Delaware National Guard on notice for potential support and issued a level-one driving warning, urging all citizens not to drive unless they have a “significant safety, health or business reason to do so.”

Finally: Just in case you’re interested, here’s a great list of snow totals from around the region. We’ll bring you updates throughout the day.