Record snowfall, bitter temps

Rico says he'll pass on winter, but Frank Kummer and Emily Babay have an article at Philly.com about why:

More than thirteen inches of record-setting snow fell in Philadelphia, and more along the Jersey Coast, after a massive storm moved up the shoreline, wreaking havoc on commuters and prompting schools to call it quits for today.
Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter says a snow emergency, declared at 4 pm Tuesday, is expected to be lifted at 6 pm today. Schools throughout the region were largely closed today, and Nutter said officials will decide later whether Philadelphia students will head back to class Thursday. The city government will reopen Thursday.
Officially, 13.5 inches fell Tuesday, but the Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management recorded fourteen inches. Airport officials were warning that the storm may impact impact flight operations today and that it's wise to check flight status before leaving home.
The snow total set a record for 21 January, crushing the previous mark of 3.4 inches, set in 1917. And it set a record as the third snowfall of six inches or more before 1 February, something that had never happened before, according to the National Weather Service. The total was the tenth-highest one-day snowfall ever in Philadelphia.
Most parts of the city got hit with the full thirteen to fourteen inches of snow, Nutter said. Typically, there's a much wider range of snowfall accumulations. The mayor said the city hopes streets will be in good condition for Thursday's morning rush hour, but the full clean up process will likely take until Saturday. He urged motorists to stay off the roads today if possible, to make the plowing process easier.
The rest of the region also got slammed with snow. Almost sixteen inches were recorded in Manalapan in Monmouth County, the highest total in the Philadelphia-to-shore area.
Delaware County was also hit hard. Brookhaven recorded 14.8 inches, and 14.2 inches were reported in Media. Other locations in Delaware and Montgomery counties also saw at least a foot, as did parts of Burlington, Camden, and Gloucester counties in New Jersey.
Some totals could change as the spotters for the National Weather Service in Mount Holly, New Jersey update their information throughout the morning.
The snow may last a while. Temperatures plunged unofficially to about six degrees overnight. The high today is not expected to reach past fourteen.
Thursday will bring a slight chance of snow showers, but as of now no significant snowfall is expected. Temperatures are expected to remain bitter cold through Saturday, which has a forecast high of 36.
At Philadelphia International Airport, more than a hundred weather-related cancellations were reported. Several area malls closed early Tuesday but said they would open at their normal start times today.
Road crews worked feverishly overnight and many of the major roads were in good shape as of 5 am. Transit was running fairly well. SEPTA trains in the city seemed to be mostly on time. Regional Rail lines were operating as normal as possible during the rush, but big delays were reported on a number of lines throughout the morning, especially north of Temple University where a switch failed.
Service on bus route 35 remains suspended, and about about thirty routes are being detoured due to road conditions. One SEPTA trolley line, route 101, was suspended around 9 am due to downed wires. PATCO is running on a snow schedule, with trains operating every fifteen minutes. New Jersey Transit said all rail lines except the Atlantic City Line were operating with on an enhanced weekend schedule with ten to fifteen minute delays. River Line service was experiencing thirty minute delays due to weather issues and a disabled train in Camden, the transit agency said.  Amtrak is operating on a modified schedule on the Northeast Corridor, Keystone Service, and Empire Line routes.
Many side streets remained unplowed as of noon, and walking was treacherous on most sidewalks as the the frigid temperatures kept any icy accumulation intact.
The cold temperatures pose a challenge to clean-up crews, Nutter said, as the salting and brining processes are less effective once the mercury dips below twenty degrees.
AAA Mid-Atlantic reported it had responded to more than five thousand requests for service throughout its territory of Washington, D.C., Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. It expects a continued run today.
Many schools, such as those in the Philadelphia School District and the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, announced closures for the day, as did a number of local universities such as Temple, Drexel, and Penn.
Area government offices are also shut down for the day or are opening late: Philadelphia city offices are closed, while government offices in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery counties will open two hours late.
A number of major Philadelphia attractions, the National Constitution Center, Philadelphia Zoo, Franklin Institute, and Eastern State Penitentiary among them, said they would be closed today.