0645 Hours, Monday, March 2, 2009: A late-season snowstorm has dropped as much as 7 inches of snow across parts of Sussex County during the overnight hours, with more snow on the way, forcing government offices, schools and many businesses to shut their doors for the day.
All Sussex County government offices are closed due to inclement weather. Additionally, the County Board of Adjustment meeting scheduled for this evening has been postponed, and will be re-scheduled at a later date.
A winter storm warning continues this morning for Sussex County, where snowfall totals have ranged from 3 to 7 inches since Sunday evening. Forecasters for the National Weather Service are predicting an additional 2 to 4 inches of snow will fall this morning before tapering off before noon today.
The Sussex County Emergency Operations Center is asking motorists to avoid travel, if possible, today because of adverse conditions. Delaware Department of Transportation crews are working to treat area roadways, focusing on primary arteries first before moving to secondary routes and back roads.
The storm is expected to depart the region by midday, but is forecast to leave behind gusty winds and bitterly cold temperatures in its wake. Forecasters are predicting winds today up to 25 mph, with higher gusts. That could cause blowing and drifting snow, as well as wind chill values in the teens and single-digits. Also, some minor tidal flooding is expected along the Sussex County coastline, with rough seas and some beach erosion possible.
The storm, so far, has caused numerous problems, including minor accidents and isolated power outages. The County 911 center has received more than 50 calls for service since 6 p.m. Sunday, with most of those calls for downed power lines, disabled vehicles and minor crashes. Meanwhile, Delmarva Power and the Delaware Electric Cooperative report scattered outages in the county, with as many as 2,500 customers between both utilities affected at this hour.
Emergency officials remind the public to never approach downed power lines, but to instead report those to authorities immediately. If there is an emergency, please dial 911. For non-emergency calls, the EOC can be reached at (302) 855-7801.
The Sussex County Emergency Operations Center will continue to monitor today’s winter weather, and will post further updates should they be necessary. For updates, stay tuned to local television and radio stations, and the Sussex County EOC Web site, at sussexcountyde.gov/services/storm. Members of the public who have questions regarding this information should contact the Sussex County Emergency Operations Center at (302) 855-7801.
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