By Mike Finney

DOVER — Many Delawareans were outside enjoying temperatures in the lower 60-degree range on Sunday afternoon, perhaps dreaming of springtime while milling about in light windbreakers and hoodies.

Not so fast, Mother Nature said.

Those warm temperatures took a nosedive early Monday morning and, combined with precipitation arriving from the South, turned much of Delaware into a snowy, wintry wonderland, closing state offices, schools and businesses.

“It’s like they always say, if you don’t like the weather in Delaware just wait a day and it’ll change,” said Jeremy Johnson, of Dover. “(Sunday) I was enjoying the day having a barbecue and watching the Philadelphia Eagles win and (Monday) I’m lugging wood into the house trying to warm it up.”

Dean Iovino, lead meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Mount Holly, New Jersey, said the stark 24-hour change in Delaware’s weather was the result of a couple of different factors.

“What happened was a strong cold front came through (Sunday) evening and temperatures dropped significantly during the evening and overnight hours to around the freezing mark,” Mr. Iovino said. “In the meantime, precipitation moved up from the South and it started off as rain but then changed to snow in Delaware. Of course, you see the results of that right now (Monday).”

By the time Monday’s winter storm began to end at around 4 p.m., Ellendale had accumulated a state-high 14.5 inches of snow, followed by Harrington, 12.1, and Seaford at 12.0 inches. Woodside wound up with 10.0 inches of snow, followed by Bridgeville (9.3), Smyrna (8.9) and the capital city of Dover (8.5).

“It happens this time of the year when it gets really warm and eventually some cold air kicks it out,” said Mr. Iovino. “Sometimes you can go from one extreme to the other rather quickly.

“We’ve seen this before. It doesn’t happen all the time, but it happens.”

The NWS added there is the possibility of another wintry weather event for Delaware residents Thursday night into Friday.

After temperatures dipped to a low of around 15 degrees Monday night, the NWS said there is no snow predicted for today’s weather forecast, just sunny skies with a high temperature near 35 degrees and northwest winds from 5 to 15 mph.

That’s welcome news for city and town employees whose job it is to clear the roads and help people get back to work.

Kay Sass, public affairs and emergency management coordinator for the city of Dover, said making quick decisions on Sunday night such as canceling Monday’s trash and recycling services, as well as closing city offices, the library and the Pitts Recreation Center, allowed the city to activate its’ snow plan, which entails 12-hour shifts for snow removal crews.

“Due to how quickly the snow is falling and accumulating, crews are focused on emergency routes only,” Ms. Sass said Monday morning. “Once the snow subsides and emergency routes are cleared, they will then move onto primary, secondary and then residential.

“Our crews are cross-trained. Since Dover does not typically get a lot of snow, our crews who drive other trucks, sanitation for example, are pulled to do snow removal. It is beneficial for people to look at the red crawler at the top of the city website or follow us on Facebook for the most up to date information on service interruptions.”

Still, many school closures for today began to pour in starting at around 5 p.m. on Monday.

In announcing Positive Outcomes Charter School’s closure due to the snow, Edward Emmett, the school’s director, noted “Someone out there just wanted our Winter Break not to end. Due to (Monday’s) snowstorm, poor road conditions, and cold temperatures, our school will be closed (today) and there will be no instruction.”

Most people seemed to enjoy a peaceful Monday spent inside cozied up under a blanket.

For many, it turned into an unexpected three- or four-day weekend due to the New Year’s holidays.

“I’m not complaining, it seems as if Delaware has hardly gotten any snow at all the past two or three years,” said Becky Swanson, of Seaford. “It would have been really nice if (Monday’s) snow had fallen on Christmas Day, but it’s still nice to look at anyways — at least for a couple of days.”