Small Town News

Cape Region dodges brunt of first snowstorm

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Areas to the north, west blasted by late-fall nor'easter

Those dreaming of a white Christmas in the Cape Region may get their wish, and those west and north of the area are sure to have snow covering the ground.

The weekend nor'easter dumped a lot of snow, but how much depends on where you live. Lewes and Re-hoboth received 2 to 4 inches, while just a few miles away in Milton, residents had to dig out from up to 8 inches. Residents in central and northern Delaware received from 15 to 18 inches of snow.

The conditions were bad on Sussex County's roads as blowing snow and ice created hazardous driving conditions. Between midnight Friday, Dec. 18, and 4 am., Sunday, Dec. 20, Delaware State Police reported 70 disabled vehicles and 90 crashes resulting in 15 injuries.

A coastal flood warning was issued for the Cape Region with some flooding reported in the back bays. Blowing sand and snow hampered motorists along Route 1 near the Indian River Inlet. "Early on Saturday, areas west and north of Georgetown already had 4 to 6 inches of snow, while it was raining in areas around Lewes and Rehoboth Beach," said Debbie Jones, spokeswoman for Sussex County Emergency Operations Center. "It was very difficult to predict what everybody was going to get. Going into the night we had concerns about iced roads as the temperature dropped."

As Cape Region residents watched dire weather reports predicting 2 feet of snow just across the Chesapeake Bay in Washington, D.C., and Baltimore, most were expecting the worst.

But as the storm hit the region, the temperature in the Cape Region hovered above freezing. While heavy snow fell 30 miles north and west during the night Friday, Dec. 18, snow did not start falling along the coast until late afternoon Saturday, Dec. 19. The story was a little different in Milton as snow accumulated more than 4 inches before another round of snow dropped more.

Rain, sleet and snow cancelled many church services on Sunday and closed schools Monday, Dec. 21, the first day of winter. State and county offices opened at 10 a.m. Dec. 21.

Gov. Jack Markell issued a state of emergency most of Saturday into Sunday for Kent and New Castle counties, but not for Sussex County. Nearly 500 Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) employees were involved in the statewide snow removal operation, using 446 vehicles, said Jim Westhoff, DelDOT spokesman.





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