Let it snow: Region gets first blast of winter
As predicted, heavy, wet snow started falling around 6 a.m., Monday, Jan. 3, in the Cape Region, and was expected to keep falling until late afternoon.
The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning until 4 p.m., Jan. 3, for the Sussex County area. The forecast included snow accumulations of 6 to 12 inches with gusty winds up to 40 miles per hour. Periods of near-blizzard conditions occurred from mid-morning to mid-afternoon. Residents were warned to stay off area roadways.
The temperature dropped from 60F late Jan. 2 to 32F within a period of a few hours.
Delaware Department of Transportation snowplow crews were out early Jan. 3 in an attempt to clear accumulating snow on area roadways.
Because of rainfall prior to the storm, DelDOT crews could not apply brine mixture to roads. “Rain dilutes the brine mixture and it also does not stick to wet surfaces, neutralizing its effectiveness. We only use it when a storm is forecast not to begin as rain and roads are dry in advance of storms,” said C.R. McLeod, director of DelDOT community relations.
Brine solution of salt and water prevents snow and ice from freezing on roadways.
Because of the storm, all area schools, government offices and most businesses were closed. Beebe Healthcare and Bayhealth each limited services due to the wintry conditions.
Lewes City Hall and the Board of Public Works closed their offices Jan. 3. Trash and recycling collection scheduled for Jan. 3 has been rescheduled for Thursday, Jan. 6. Based on snow accumulations, the city will make a determination about Tuesday, Jan. 4 trash collection and provide an update on its website.
The heavy snow caused power outages for BPW, Delaware Electric Cooperative and Delmarva Power customers throughout the day.
In Milton, town offices were announced as closed the day prior to the storm, Jan. 2. Milton Town Council postponed its Jan. 3 meeting and rescheduled it for 6:30 p.m., Monday, Jan. 10. To make room, council’s planned annual tax appeal meeting, which had been set for Jan. 10, was canceled.
Dewey Beach Town Hall was announced closed the morning of Jan. 3.
Milton residents are encouraged by town officials to not park on the streets to make it easier for DelDOT and the public works department to remove the snow. DelDOT is responsible for snow removal on Federal, Union and Mulberry streets, as well as portions of Front, Chestnut and Atlantic streets. The town’s public works department will clear primary streets first, followed by secondary roads and then subdivisions. Snow removal on privately owned streets is not the town’s responsibility.
Property owners should remove snow and ice from the sidewalks in the public right-of-way within 24 hours after the snow stops. Snow should not be pushed or thrown into the streets.
In Rehoboth Beach, most of the businesses closed for the day; there were only a handful of people out and about, and Rehoboth Beach City Hall closed at noon. Temperatures were only a couple degrees warmer down by the Atlantic Ocean, but it was enough of a difference to keep snow from accumulating to any great degree.
Wind was howling all over the Cape Region, but with nothing to break it down by the ocean, gusts buffeted the few people who braved the weather to get a photo.
“This is amazing,” said one woman as she quickly shuffled over the dune crossing to get a photo of the ocean before getting back into her car with Virginia plates.
According to the National Weather Service, to be termed a blizzard, a storm must have sustained winds of at least 35 miles per hour with enough snow to limit visibility to one-quarter mile or less for a period of at least three hours.
A coastal flood warning was issued for tidal areas throughout the region on Jan. 3 and 4.
