Southern Delaware saw its first substantial snow since 2017 on Monday.
While many marveled at the return of snow in the lower portion of the state — sharing photos of trees and churches and lighthouses decorated in a glistening blanket of white — ice continued to be a challenge as the freezing temperatures stuck around Tuesday.
Schools, government offices and businesses closed during Monday’s storm with many remaining closed Tuesday. Widespread power outages left thousands without electricity in the afternoon and into Monday evening, but most appeared to be restored by the morning.
The Delaware Department of Transportation had more than 250 plows on the roads yesterday and continued to plow Tuesday. Crews reported at 3 a.m. Monday morning and worked into the night before taking mandatory rest breaks, according to DelDOT spokesman C.R. McLeod.
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The largest accumulation was in Ellendale, which recorded 14.5 inches of snow, according to multiple snow monitoring services.
Much of central and western Sussex and Kent counties, mainly surrounding the county line, saw 10 inches or more as well.
Within the city limits of Seaford, businesses closed and municipal crews responded quickly to ongoing power outages throughout the afternoon and evening, according to Mayor David Genshaw.
With warm temperatures the day before, some said they expected a typical dusting or snow that would not stick to the roadways. But for those who enjoy a white winter, like Genshaw, the storm brought some sliver linings.
“What an incredible amount of snow and it came down so fast,” Genshaw said. “But it’s pretty. It’s pretty if you can stay inside and not be out in it.”
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Just south of Seaford, a rare weather phenomenon was seen, or rather heard, too.
“We had some thundersnow in Sussex County, far down in the Laurel area,” the National Weather Service’s Trent Davis told The News Journal/DelawareOnline.
While it may sound like a menacing event out of a science-fiction novel, thundersnow is in fact real and exactly what it sounds like – a thunderstorm that produces snow instead of rain.
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Closer to the coast in Milton, nearly a foot of snow fell, and many businesses like Irish Eyes were closed until Tuesday afternoon.
Maryellen Kiernan, a manager at Irish Eyes, said some local crews were helping to plow out the parking lot just before noon, and the restaurant was hoping to clear out its Lewes location soon, as well.
As businesses began to open again, she said she hoped people stayed safe and off the roads if they could.
“I’m surprised by how many people are out and about,” she said. “The main roads seem clear but, again, it’s a sheet of ice.”
Delaware beaches under snow
The beaches generally saw lower snow accumulation, recording 3 or 4 inches, but ice continued to be a hazard in communities from Slaughter Beach to Rehoboth Beach to Fenwick Island.
In Slaughter Beach, Town Manager Julia Geha said ice coated the entire sides of houses as cold wind and snow blew in from the bay.
Still, Geha said the small coastal town was mostly spared from the worst of the storm, and Delmarva Power responded quickly to power outages.
“The winds and snow did create quite a beautiful affect on our trees and homes, and we may have lost a bit more beach sand from the crashing waves, however, no homes have suffered damage,” Geha wrote in an email.
The National Weather Service coastal flooding advisory for the region expired early Tuesday morning. While Lewes saw some flooding on Savannah Road on Monday, Town Manager Ann Marie Townshend said there was no significant flooding by Tuesday afternoon.
The issue? Most of the ice remained frozen down the coast, so areas that are prone to flooding had yet to see the impact of the melting winter weather.
In Rehoboth Beach, though, the sun seemed to be starting that work.
Public Works Director Kevin Williams said crews were working to clear roads until about 8:30 p.m. Monday and were back at it again before 7 a.m. Tuesday. By the afternoon, he said the sun helped melt much of the remaining ice and snow on the major roads.
“We got a big assist from mother nature this morning,” he said. “The sunshine is warming up the road.”
Rehoboth Avenue and other major roadways had been cleared downtown, and crews were beginning to clear parking spaces Tuesday afternoon, so more people could venture out and visit the shops and restaurants, Williams said.
While the municipal roads at the beaches are starting to clear up nicely, backroads and other routes outside of city limits — especially those shaded by trees — continue to be slick and icy.
Fenwick Island’s roads have mostly cleared up, according to Mayor Vicki Carmean, but she said she wasn’t surprised that other roadways were taking longer to become safe.
“I don’t think the county is ever prepared for snow,” Carmean said. “We just don’t get this kind of snow and ice event that often.”
How the snow measures up to history
The last time Sussex saw 10 inches of snow was in Selbyville in March 2017, with the rest of county recording 5-8 inches, according to the Delaware Environmental Observing System.
In Kent, Woodside saw a whopping 17 inches in January 2016, when much of the rest of the county recorded over 10 inches of snow.
Several places in central and western Sussex experienced near-whiteout conditions Monday.
On Monday afternoon, Bob Carey, of Carey’s Towing in Laurel, said his business was so busy towing cars he hadn’t had time to get out the company’s snowplow.
“Cars into ditches, trees, off the road. A lot of damage to a lot of cars,” he said.
In Lewes, where snow hasn’t fallen heavily in years, Townshend said some of the staff members were plowing for the first time.
“It was definitely a learning experience for some of our staff,” she said, adding that — besides a few routine concerns about snow being pushed into driveways — everything went smoothly, and the staff received good feedback from the community.
At noon Tuesday, Shore Property Maintenance owner Ted Nowakowski had been awake for more than 24 hours, but he was in good humor. It’s not the longest he’s stayed up to plow snow.
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“I think eight or nine years ago, seemed like we had snow every weekend, my son and I stayed up two or three days. Might have napped in the truck some,” he said.
His company manages and is responsible for plowing numerous businesses and other groups in Sussex, such as Beebe Healthcare, WSFS Bank and Gateway Plaza in Rehoboth Beach, where The Fresh Market and Bed Bath & Beyond are located.
Despite the efforts from hard working crews, and the hopefulness of a sunny afternoon, many roads remained treacherous throughout the day Tuesday.
DelDOT’s McLeod said their biggest challenge Tuesday was clearing “hard pack,” or compacted snow.
He warned drivers of ice. And almost every municipal staff member, mayor and business had similar advice: Drive safe and avoid the roads if possible.
“This [storm] was one that ice doesn’t care how well you can drive on the beach,” Genshaw said. “This is a whole different animal when you’re driving.”
Reporters José Ignacio Castañeda Perez and Patricia Talorico contributed to this report.
