DOVER – Following a snowstorm with more than 6 inches of snow in some areas of Central Delaware, frigid temperatures will be the story Monday as many state workers will be staying at home and off the highways.
The big concern now: ice.
“While the ice accumulation may look picturesque, freezing rain is what our team has been concerned about for days,” Delaware Electric Cooperative wrote in its Sunday evening storm update on social media.
“ Icing will continue for several more hours and could lead to power outages overnight and into tomorrow. The extreme cold expected this week will also place additional strain on our local electric grid.
“If you lose power overnight, outages may last longer than usual, as many back roads are coated in ice, making travel dangerous for our crews. “
The National Weather Service said there may be a tenth of an inch of ice accumulation overnight and maybe a half inch of snow in its forecast for Dover.
Clean-up efforts for DelDOT and local municipal crews will continue into Tuesday and the challenge for them and homeowners will be dealing with a strong layer of ice underneath the snow.
Several state and county offices and school districts have announced closures.
Sunday evening’s slush on the roadway will make for dangerous conditions overnight.
Gov. Matt Meyer’s order of Level 2 driving restrictions remains in place for Kent and New Castle counties. In Sussex, Level 1 restrictions continue.
The National Weather Service forecast:
Tonight: Rain or freezing rain before 2 a.m., then a slight chance of snow between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. Low around 23. Northeast wind around 5 mph becoming west in the evening. Chance of precipitation is 100%. Total nighttime ice accumulation of less than a 0.1 of an inch possible. Total nighttime snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.
Monday: Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 30. West wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph.
Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 11. Wind chill values as low as zero. West wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.
Cold air will stick around for several days. Highs on Tuesday through Sunday are expected to be in the low 20s. Friday, forecasters said, could be as low as 19 degrees.
Delaware Environmental Observing System showed the following snowfall totals for Sunday:
Blackbird – 7.3 inches
Smyrna – 6.5
Dover – 5.4
Woodside – 4.4
Frederica – 4.5
Harrington – 5.4
Ellendale – 4.1
Bridgeville – 3.3
Lewes – 3.6
Seaford – 3.1
Stockley – 3.1
Laurel – 2.3
Bethany Beach – 2.3
