By Tim Mastro

The National Weather Service confirmed Delaware experienced its first blizzard since 2018 on Saturday with 35 mph sustained winds and a quarter of an inch of visibility due to snow lasting for at least three hours.

The worst of the storm was felt in Sussex County and it could take until today for some of its secondary roads to be cleared of snow. C.R. McLeod of the Delaware Department of Transportation said high winds led to drifting snow on Saturday which posed a challenge for plow crews.

“You should expect snow-covered roads,” Mr. McLeod said Saturday evening. “Our plows are continuing to work on our primary roads. The high winds obviously made that a challenge because of the drifting snow. As a result we haven’t really had a chance to get to those secondary roads yet. If you are venturing out in Sussex County be prepared that the roads will not be perfect.”

“They will be passable but not perfect,” he added. “Please drive carefully and cautiously. There are still chances to get stuck in areas that haven’t seen plows and there’s drifting snow. Obviously it can be icy also. Just because the restriction is lifted doesn’t mean the roads are back to normal.”

DelDOT will be sending plows from New Castle County down to the lower portion of the state to assist with the plowing.

Gov. John Carney lifted the State of Emergency order due to the storm at 6 p.m. Saturday. Kent County and Sussex County will be under a Level 1 Driving Warning until 8 a.m. today. The Level 1 Driving Warning means Delawareans should avoid traveling on roadways, unless there is a significant safety, health or business reason to do so. All motorists are urged to drive with extreme caution.

The Delaware Environmental Observing System, operated by the University of Delaware to monitor weather conditions, recorded 9.3 inches of snow near Millsboro as of 6 p.m. Saturday while Dagsboro posted 9.1 inches and Bethany Beach 9.0 inches. Ellendale reported 8.9 inches. Totals were lower in western Sussex County with 6.5 in Seaford, 5.9 in Bridgeville and 5.3 in Laurel.

Dover reported the most snow in Kent County with 8.4 inches and Woodside followed with 8.1. Smyrna posted a total of 5.4.

The storm was less severe in New Castle County as Townsend reported 4.2 inches. There was only 2.8 inches of snow recorded in Newark and 2.5 inches near Wilmington.

But with high winds and snow drifts, totals varied across the state.

Delawareans are urged to use caution as they clear snow. Dangerously cold temperatures are expected, which may cause wet surfaces to freeze, and pose a risk to people and pets.

Sunday’s forecast for Dover calls for mostly sunny conditions and a high of 28 degrees.