Season's biggest snowfall locally doesn't compare nothing 6 to 8 inches here nothing versus 30 inches to the south

Residents in the greater Shamokin-Mount Carmel area were digging out from the season's biggest snowfall Saturday morning, clearing sidewalks, parking spots and driveways of approximately 6 to 8 inches of snow.

Those in southern and western Pennsylvania wish they were so lucky.

Old Man Winter rewrote the record books in Philadelphia for the second time in six weeks, dumping more than 26.7 inches to become the second-largest snowfall in city history. Near-whiteout conditions grounded flights at Philadelphia International Airport and cut power to 190,000 customers in the western part of the state. Gov. Ed Rendell declared a state of emergency.

Strasburg in Lancaster County had the highest amount recorded by the National Weather Service (NWS) from the storm in Pennsylvania - 31 inches, said Bill Gartner, with NWS in State College.

"Near the southern border of the state was where the brunt of the storm hit," he said, noting other totals that reached close to 30 inches in that region. "Here in State College we had 14 to 15 inches, so I guess that proves that Phil was right - winter is still here."

Not only is it still here, it might be back again with a vengeance on Tuesday.

"The (approaching) storm system could mix with some warmer air and there is the potential that it could be just rain or some freezing rain," Gartner said. "The possibility also exists that some areas in the state could get hit with another significant amount of snow."

The storm that started Friday evening and subsided by Saturday morning, allowing even a few peaks of sun by afternoon, left 5.5 inches in Shamokin, 7 in Herndon and 5.8 in Sunbury, according to NWS recordings, Gartner said.

Much of the Mid-Atlantic, meanwhile, was dealing with what President Obama called "Snowmageddon."

Emergency declared

Rendell's disaster declaration allowed officials to bypass bid and contract procedures, and he said state National Guard forces had been deployed to help state police. Some drivers on the Pennsylvania Turnpike reported being stranded for 12 hours or more along one western section blocked by jackknifed tractor-trailers.

The blizzard easily outstripped the Dec. 19 snowstorm for second place in the Philadelphia's record books. That storm, hitting two days before the official start of winter, dropped 23.2 inches to become the city's third largest since records began in 1884.

"It's an extraordinary event to have two in the same season," NWS lead forecaster Dean Iovino said.

The record for the City of Brotherly Love remains the 30.7 inches amassed during the January 1996 blizzard.

Philadelphia International Airport spokeswoman Victoria Lupica said crews had been battling blizzard and whiteout conditions to try to clear runways and other areas, but officials still expected "nearly 100 percent" of flights to be canceled. Lupica said passengers can expect delays and cancellations today as airport crews dig out from the storm.

Totals were even higher to the west, with 29.5 inches reported in Laurel Summit, Somerset County, 28 inches in parts of Franklin and Cambria counties, 27 inches in York County and 26 inches in Blair County. In western Pennsylvania, Allegheny Power reported nearly 133,000 customers without power and Duquesne Light had another 57,000 without power.

Allegheny County in western Pennsylvania earlier declared a state of emergency and urged all nonessential vehicles to stay off the roads to clear the way for emergency workers. Pittsburgh International Airport said all runways had been closed until further notice.

Pennsylvania Turnpike spokesman Carl DeFebo said several tractor-trailers jackknifed just west of the Somerset interchange, about 60 miles east of Pittsburgh. He says a couple of hundred cars might have been idled along a 5-mile stretch, and some drivers reported being stranded for 12 hours or longer.

Motorists stranded 12 hrs.

Susanna Lislotto of Irwin, Pa., told WPXI-TV she was stranded on the turnpike for more than 12 hours, starting at midnight Saturday.

"We were staying in the car, turning on the car when we were absolutely freezing and then turning it off to preserve gas," she

said. "I just want to go home. It has been a long time."

The TV sation reported that stranded drivers banded together to turn off their cars to conserve fuel and set up "a makeshift bathroom system." National Guard forces used snowplows to distribute packaged meals, and local fire department crews passed out water and granola bars.

Norristown residents Walt Gursky, 28, and Sheila Bigelow, 24, braved the roads to go to the Philadelphia International Auto Show at the Pennsylvania Convention Center downtown.

"Last year when I came, there was a line getting in," Gursky said. "Much more relaxing in here - you can actually see what you want."

The couple said they considered taking the train but feared being stranded if service stopped. The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority suspended most regional rail service Saturday.

The auto show's executive director, Kevin Mazzucola, said Saturday usually would have been the event's busiest day, attracting 50,000 to 60,000 people, but only 5,000 to 10,000 were expected. Overall attendance for the nine-day show had been up 10 percent over last year - until the snow hit.

"Obviously, everything goes out the window in blizzard conditions," he said. "If there's one day I would not want snow, it's today."

Falling temperatures Saturday night were expected to make travel conditions even more perilous.

"You're going to run into ice later on this evening; that creates a more dangerous situation," Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter said Saturday. "There's not a snowplow made in the world that can do very much with that."

Michelle Urresta, 21, of Dormont, pulled a blue child's sled up a steep, snow-covered hill but was unable to keep bags of groceries including milk, eggs, and juice from repeatedly falling out. Ahead of her, boyfriend Brandon Kirkland, 24, carried their 2-year-old son, Alex, on his shoulders.

"I'm at nursing school, so I had to be at the hospital till late," Urresta said. "It started snowing, and I just didn't have time" to get groceries," she said.

Outside the R Bar in Dormont around noon, Bryce Tobul and Chris Lambusta took turns jumping over a snowbank a few feet high. They had already shoveled the sidewalk outside the bar, which they called their home away from home, and enjoyed a few beers inside.

"We're just waiting for the Penguins game," said 33-year-old Tobul.

Peter DeMuro, 25, of Philadelphia, was waiting with four of his Ultimate Frisbee teammates at the Market East train station, all still determined to make their Saturday game. If their opponents didn't show up, the group planned to scrimmage and use some sledding equipment they brought.

"We're older, but we're still just big kids," DeMuro said. "We like to play in the snow."

(Associated Press writers Kathy Matheson in Philadelphia and Dan Nephin in Pittsburgh contributed to this report.)

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