Streets turn icy; freezing-rain advisory issued

A wintry mix of precipitation moved through the Philadelphia area Monday evening, prompting a brief ground-stop of departing flights from Philadelphia International Airport and warnings of icy conditions on area roadways and sidewalks.

With temperatures remaining below freezing late Monday night, the National Weather Service issued a freezing-rain advisory until midnight.

Authorities reported numerous traffic accidents -- likely caused by icy and slippery roads -- across the Philadelphia suburbs and South Jersey, but none were reported to be fatal or life-threatening.

The NWS in Mount Holly said that temperatures would rise slowly through the night into Tuesday morning.

As the day's light snowfall tapered off in the afternoon, sleet was reported in North Philadelphia and the suburbs.  It was expected to shift into a mix of sleet and freezing rain, followed by rain later Monday night, according to the National Weather Service.

A winter weather advisory was in place until 10 p.m. for the city and until 1 a.m. Tuesday for some northwest suburbs.

As of 6 p.m., the National Weather Service reported unofficial snow totals ranging from 1/3 inch at Philadelphia International Airport to almost 2 inches in some suburbs.

Roads

PennDot imposed speed restrictions on Interstates 76, 95, 476, 676; U.S. Routes 1, 30, 202, 422; and State Routes 63, 100 Spur and 309.

Speed restrictions also were in place on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, the New Jersey Turnpike and Garden State Parkway.

Officials warned motorists to be on alert for hazardous conditions. Slushy and icy roads and sidewalks were possible throughout the night.

"Drivers can expect slippery conditions," John Krafczyk, PennDot assistant district executive for maintenance, said at a news briefing.

Crews would be working through the night and into Tuesday morning to make sure "roads are as passable as can be," Krafczyk said. He said there was residual salt already on the roads, with more ready to be spread.

Krafczyk warned that the cold road surfaces could continue to icy even after the air temperature rose above freezing.

Motorists should be prepared for changing weather conditions and reduced visibility, and ready to slow down.

The Benjamin Franklin Bridge pedestrian walkway was closed.

Mass Transit

SEPTA had assorted delays on its regional rail service and some bus routes were expected to be detoured.

Airport

Flights were briefly grounded at Philadelphia International Airport on Monday night.  Airport officials reported that the Federal Aviation Administration had ordered a ground stop for all departing flights because of the weather, from about 7 to 7:25 p.m. They have now resumed.

Earlier, more than 100 delays and cancellations were reported. Officials warned that weather conditions in other cities could also affect flights.

Officials advised travelers to check their flight status with their airlines or at http://phl.org.

Schools

Most area schools already were closed for Presidents Day. Some colleges canceled late afternoon or evening classes.

Utilities

No significant outages were reported.