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The imminent winter wonderland will halted SEPTA and other typical city operations through the weekend.
Philadelphia was put in a state of a snow emergency starting at 9 p.m. Friday, according to a press release by the city's Office of Emergency Management. Mayor Jim Kenney urged citizens to stay indoors after the emergency takes effect, according to a press release by the City of Philadelphia's Office of Emergency Management. The office will be using the Emergency Operations Center in a limited capacity starting at 8 p.m. Friday to plan emergency responses and city services, according to the press release, and deactivated at 2 p.m. Sunday. The Philadelphia Parking Authority offered a $5 flat rate after 5 p.m. at select parking facilities to decrease the number of cars on the road. Parking meters were not enforced when the snow emergency set in.
Jeffrey Knueppel, the general manager for SEPTA, announced Friday morning that the transportation service would suspend operations for the SEPTA Regional Rail, bus and trolley routes Norristown High Speed Line, citing that "zero visibility and high winds will make it too dangerous for our customers and our employees to be on the roads and rails." Regional rail and bus routes were shut down between 4 a.m. Saturday and 4 a.m. Sunday, according to the OEM press release. SEPTA subway and elevated lines planned to operate normally, the press release added, but trolleys would run in place of some bus lines where possible.
All flights were cancelled at Philadelphia International Airport for Saturday. Additionally, the bike share service, Indego, expected to suspend its services at 6 p.m. Friday, the press release said.
The Division of Public Safety sent a UPenn Alert at 2:52 p.m. on Friday directing information on University operations during the storm to the Public Safety website. The website contains the National Weather Service Blizzard Advisory in effect from 7 p.m. Friday to 10 a.m. Sunday.
This article was last updated on Jan. 23 at 2:53 p.m. Check back for updates.
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