Delaware was hit with another blast of winter early Friday morning as the second storm system this week blew into the state.
As of about 10 a.m. Friday, Smyrna had the most snow with 4.2 inches, according to the Delaware Environmental Observing System. Greenville had 3.2 inches; Newark, 2.7 inches; and Dover, 2.9 inches. Most parts of Sussex had received little snow, but Lewes had the most with 1.2 inches.
Despite getting the most snow, precipitation stopped falling in Smyrna by about 7:30 a.m. or a little earlier. By 8 a.m., plows had cleared most roads but some streets still had slush or snow that had blown back across the roadway.
Schools across New Castle and Kent counties are closed Friday, and DART buses in the areas will operate on a delayed schedule.
Roads were mostly clear in downtown Wilmington by 6:30 a.m., but people parked outside still had a good amount of snow scraping to do before driving anywhere. Grassy areas looked only a few inches deep.
Snowfall in Dover was relatively light, though it piled on top of the snow that struck Delaware on Monday. Multiple snow plows – including one stylized with a design of large teeth on the front – were patrolling around Legislative Hall in the morning.
But this is not Monday’s storm, meteorologist Alex Staarmann said. Where Monday saw massive traffic build-ups, power outages and snowfall greater than a foot, most of Delaware was expected to get only 3 or 4 inches of snow this time.
“This is not nearly as strong of a system, so there’s not really any potential for it to put down anything close to like what we saw on Monday,” Staarmann said.
Monday’s storm:‘It’s pretty if you can stay inside.’ Delaware digs out from ‘incredible amount’ of snow
The storm will also move “much faster” than the one earlier this week, Staarmann said, and skies should be clear and sunny by Friday afternoon.
Still, it will likely take crews a few hours to clear off the roads.
“Keep it slow,” Staarmann cautioned drivers. “And if you don’t have to travel it’s probably best to just stay put.”
Delaware snow totals:Here are the latest inch counts
Temperatures will stay at about freezing throughout the day, experts predict, though some snow may melt into slush after the sun comes out.
Be careful, though – when nightfall drags the temperature back down to the teens, that slush could freeze into ice by Saturday morning.
Send story tips or ideas to Hannah Edelman at hedelman@delawareonline.com. For more reporting, follow them on Twitter at @h_edelman.
