The first snow of 2022 blanketed Delaware Monday, shuttering state offices and businesses, prompting power outages, and disrupting statewide COVID-19 testing and vaccination sites as southern areas of the state received the brunt of the storm.
In an uncommon twist, the central and southern areas of the state, rather than the north, endured the highest amount of snow, according to Trent Davis, a National Weather Service meteorologist.
He expected the snow to continue to fall in Kent and Sussex until between 4 and 7 p.m. It wrapped up in northern New Castle before 3 p.m.
As of 3 p.m., Hartly was walloped with 13 inches of snow, 11.6 inches of snow had fallen in Milton, and Dover was covered in 7 inches.
“We had some thundersnow in Sussex County, far down in the Laurel area,” Davis said of the rare occurrence, adding “it’s a pretty robust system.”
The lightning strikes were reported between 1:30 and 2 p.m., he said Monday afternoon, and “you can’t rule out more.”
Bob Carey, of Carey’s Towing in Laurel, said the business was so busy towing cars they hadn’t had time to get out their snowplow. Carey advised residents to stay off the roads, if possible.
“Cars into ditches, trees, off the road. A lot of damage to a lot of cars,” he said.
Travel in eastern Sussex County was reported as extremely hazardous at around 4 p.m. with near whiteout conditions from Milford to Milton, according to the Delaware Department of Transportation, which have had crews working since 3 a.m. Monday.
DelDOT said it was plowing and salting primary roads “which are in very poor condition as heavy snow continues to fall across Sussex County.”
It said plows will not begin clearing secondary and rural roads until conditions on primary roads begin to improve.
Drivers were advised to slow down and exercise caution as road conditions deteriorated throughout the day. Numerous cars could be seen stopped on the side of Route 1 on Monday afternoon.
Monday’s storm developed quickly Sunday night as “a really strong cold front came through,” Davis said.
However, the storm was a bust in some portions of northern New Castle County.
By about 2 p.m., only scant amounts coated the ground, barely enough for favorable sledding conditions although some children and adults were seen trying to slide down a hill in a neighborhood near Hockessin.
The New Castle County Airport reported 1-inch of snow by early afternoon, while more than 5.3 inches coated Middletown and Summit Bridge saw 5.5 inches.
Some of the state’s highest amount of snow fell in central and southern Delaware cities with nearly 10 inches accumulating in Woodside, and both Ellendale and Harrington climbing toward the 9-inch mark. In Smyrna, a little over eight inches accrued throughout the day.
POWER OUTAGES:Heavy snow, winds cause multiple power outages across Delaware, Maryland and Virginia
Eighty-seven active power outages were reported throughout southern areas of the state, affecting over 2,000 people according to Delmarva Power. Multiple power outages have also been reported in Milford.
“Public works employees are aware of the problems and are doing their best to get power up and running again as fast as possible,” the city’s website read. “If you want to report a power outage, please call the Milford Public Works Department at (302) 422 – 1110.”
As a result of the storm, Delaware’s Code Purple emergency sanctuary locations in Kent County opened Monday and will operate on Tuesday. More information regarding contact information and addresses can be found on their website.
A sharp cutoff in the amount of snow was expected northwest of the I-95 corridor near New Castle County and extending toward Philadelphia.
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The snow resulted in hazardous conditions that affected the morning commute throughout the state.
DELMARVA SNOW:Here’s some snowfall in Salisbury, lower Delaware on Monday, Jan. 3, 2022
The snow also affected the commute of President Joe Biden as he returned to Washington D.C. after spending some time at his Greenville home and dining out a Banks’ Seafood Kitchen and Raw Bar at the Wilmington Riverfront. At around 9 a.m., Air Force One was being de-iced as Biden prepared to fly.
Another round of winter weather is also possible Thursday night into Friday.
Winds were projected to reach up to 35 mph, possibly limiting visibility on the roads and causing damage to trees and powerlines, according to the Delaware Department of Transportation.
“Motorists should expect difficult travel conditions throughout the morning as roads could become snow-covered during the heaviest period of snowfall,” the department’s website reads.
DELMARVA STORM:Snow: Salisbury and north expected to take wallop. Winter storm warning in effect
The heaviest snowfall remains along and southeast of the I-95 corridor through the state, according to the National Weather Service.
Portions of the eastern shore of Maryland and southern portions of New Jersey have also been hit by heavy snow.
DELAWARE WINTER STORM:Here’s how much snow has fallen
Temperatures are expected to remain in the 20s and 30s throughout the day and into Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service.
Officials advised drivers to slow down and adjust their driving to the conditions of the road, including leaving ample space between other vehicles, allowing extra time to reach destinations and giving snowplows plenty of room to work.
Across the state
Around 1 p.m. at Wawa in Millsboro, several people traveling had stopped for food and gas. Forrest and Marisol Minschke had been to the casino and Dover and were driving home to Virginia Beach.
“I gotta work tomorrow,” Forrest said.
The roads were a little scary, they admitted, but they said they’re driving slower than usual.
Another man was on his way to New Jersey after flying in from Tennessee and detouring through Delaware to see the beaches.
“When it was 60 degrees yesterday and they said it was going to snow, we didn’t believe them,” he said.
In Georgetown, Jaime De La Cruz, a Bodie’s Dairy Markets clerk, said they’ve had about a fifth of their usual customers today. Kids in snow clothes were mainly coming in for snacks as the store experienced computer problems due to a power outage.
SNOW DAY:Delaware’s first snowstorm is coming. Here are the school closings across the state
Despite the fluffy snow in Dover, a consistent flow of light traffic was spotted in the McDonald’s drive-thru on East Lebanon Road, with customers arming themselves with a hot breakfast as they battleed against the cold.
In Bear, a light layer of snow covered the ground but not roadways early Monday, with roads eventually covered by late morning. By afternoon, the Bear area was reporting 3 inches of snow.
At the Weis Market in Lewes, a handful of people ventured out to stock up on some items before the roads got even more covered in snow.
Plows were setting out on Coastal Highway near the Lowe’s just after 9:30 a.m., and Lewes resident Dee Schuler said she noticed that the roads seemed mostly slushy at this point. She stocked up on a cart full of items at Weis while waiting to see if her work would be closed.
Closings and delays
- All Curative testing locations are closed.
- All state service center testing is canceled.
- All public health vaccination sites are closed.
- All public health clinics are closed.
- Due to the storm, state offices have closed their doors during regular business hours today. Offices will be closed from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- Almost all of the state’s public school districts have also announced the closure of their schools and offices due to the ongoing storm.
- The Food Bank of Delaware locations in Newark and Milford have closed today.
This is an ongoing story. Follow along for more updates.
Contact the reporter at jcastaneda1@delawareonline.com or connect with him on Twitter @joseicastaneda.
Staff reporter Patricia Talorico contributed to this article.