Many area roads hazardous, officials ask folks to stay home
Snow continued to fall throughout all of Chester County with as much as 30 inches now forecast before the storm ends Early Sunday.
It’s a bit of a good news, bad news scenario.
The bad news — it looks like a lot more snow than the originally forecast 12 to 18 inches of snow will fall over much of Chester County. By late Saturday afternoon, more than that had fallen in much of the county with new estimates suggesting as much as 30 inches will blanket the county before the storm finally winds up early Sunday.
The good news — the snow has been of the lighter, fluffier variety, and as yet has not led to many tree branch or power wires being downed. Although winds have been gusty at times, there haven’t been the sustained winds initially forecast, either. That meant few — PECO reports less than 100 homes — facing power outages as of Saturday afternoon. We’re not out the woods, though, as winds are expected to pick up tonight and could increase the impact on the local power grid.
Roadways, even as local and state crews work to keep them clear, are tricky at best and downright hazardous at worst. Parts of Rt. 322 in the northern part of the county were cited as impassable by Chester County Emergency Services. other road closures include Reeceville Road between Swinehart and Manor roads in West Brandywine and Woodward and Overhill roads in South Coatsville. Other roads may be closed as then night goes on.
Local, county and state officials are saying except in an emergency, people should stay off roadways. Road in the county and the region are termed as dangerous.
“My top priority is the safety of the people of Pennsylvania,” said Gov. Tom Wolf in a Saturday afternoon press briefing. “In order to avoid accidents and further congestion, we are strongly urging all citizens to avoid road travel at this time. Many Pennsylvanians have made the wise choice to stay home, and we appreciate their cooperation. ”
For those who may need shelter, a warming shelter is open at United Methodist Church, High Street, West Chester from 1PM to 7PM.
The following municipalities have declared snow emergencies or emergencies:
Avondale Borough, Caln Township, Coatesville City (Snow Emergency) Downingtown Borough (Snow Emergency) East Bradford Township (Both), East Caln Township, East Nottingham Township, East Pikeland Township (Snow Emergency), Franklin Township, Honey Brook Borough (Both), Kennett Square Borough (Snow Emergency), London Britain Township, London Grove Township, Lower Oxford Township (Snow Emergency), Malvern Borough (Snow Emergency), North Coventry Township (Both), Oxford Borough (Snow Emergency) Parkesburg Borough (Snow Emergency), Penn Township (Snow Emergency), Phoenixville Borough (Snow Emergency), Schuylkill Township (Snow Emergency), South Coatesville Borough (Snow Emergency), Spring City Borough (Snow Emergency), Thornbury Township (Snow Emergency), Uwchlan Township,
Valley Township (Snow Emergency), West Brandywine Township, West Caln Township (Snow Emergency), West Chester Borough (Both), West Fallowfield Township, West Nottingham Township and West Vincent Township (Snow Emergency).
