but this scene will be empty and snow covered in just hours. >> and before it gets here, this storm is hitting detroit, michigan, right now. this is a live look at snow coming down there. and this will intensify as it heads our way. we have an army of meteorologists and reporters with everything you need to know to stay safe through this storm. let's begin with chief meteorologist glenn "hurricane" schwartz with the timing of the storm hour by hour. glenn? what i want you to do is take a look at this radar. and you can see the amount of moisture that is around. it is just a huge area that is covering us. and it is going to be affecting us for a good bit of the night tonight and into the day tomorrow. the blizzard warning has been issued and it covers all the pennsylvania counties north of philadelphia. and there's a strict definition for a blizzard.

you don't just use that term. it's got to be 35-mile-an-hour winds in a particular spot, quarter mile visibility or less, and both of those have to be for three hours or more together. there's the radar. you can see how close some of that snow is on radar. it's not reaching the ground yet, but it really gives you an idea of the atmosphere that is moistening up. that's a thousand miles worth of moisture headed this way. the snow starts from south to north, 9:00 to 10:00. 3:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., that's the core of the storm. that's the most dangerous part of this storm. so that's where you want to avoid travel. tuesday afternoon, the snow continues, but it weakens. and wednesday, it's just some snow showers. so here comes the snow. and it gets heavy fast. and a lot of snow is piling up by the morning for a lot of folks. and we'll get into the accumulations in a few minutes.

in the meantime, philadelphia will declare a state of emergency room in less than three hours. that means you have until 9:00 tonight to move your car off any emergency access routes or you will be towed. >> and just moments ago, the mayor gave and update on how the city is preparing for the snow. mitch is joining us live with what the mayor just finished saying. >> reporter: he's going to open the emergency center tonight at 10:00. h they will not determine whether to close city offices until later tonight. and we know the city will be at full capacity to fight the snow tomorrow by midnight. more than 800 phil workers are getting ready to fly across the city. more than 50,000 tons of salt

and 400 pieces of equipment. in south philly -- >> bread, eggs and milk like everybody else. >> reporter: those counting on the streets department are preparing for a day inside. >> we want to watch shows and movies. we are going to stay in until the storm passes. >> reporter: city crews have already started brining the roads but won't dump salt until it starts slowing tonight. >> after last winter it shouldn't be too bad. >> reporter: with 2200 roads to plow, 2200 miles worth of roads to plow, they are asking for your help. the first roads to be plowed tomorrow will be the emergency access roads like market street. the city will use all of its snowplows and retrofit its garbage and trash trucks all with snowplows to help contribute to the snow removal efforts. of course, trash and recycling will not be picked up tomorrow. we're live in center city, mitch blocker, "nbc 10 news."

and we're expecting the storm to arrive in delaware first. the neighbors were out making sure they are ready for anything. a lot of them told us they are planning to stay in tomorrow, which is good news for deldot. officials are pre-treating the roads and fewer cars on the road mean their job is easier. neighbors are fine with the idea of staying in. >> i'm going to stay in. i'm not going to risk running out later. that's why we are out now. >> officials say the main lines will be handled first. >> a live look at i-95 in south philadelphia where the evening rush is in full effect. but there won't be a rush tomorrow. blinding snow will make it impossible to drive. and for part of the day, the snow will be coming down too heavily for plow trucks to even move. and nbc's 10's vienna is along the turnpike. the speeds will be dropping.

>> reporter: that will be from tonight until the roads are clear. we have talked to local road crews as well as state crews. they say this is going to be an all-nig all-nighter. >> we have been down this road before. >> reporter: this may be the last major snowstorm for veteran crews after 40-plus years manning the streets, angelo is gearing up for one of his last winte winters. >> it is mother nature. you can't do nothing to stop it. >> reporter: those who began working this morning will stay at work until all the roads are clear. that could be more than 36 hours behind the wheel. >> all the main roads are covered at the same time. just groups of trucks all spread out through each main artery. we want to go in and out of avenuington, south, east, west, whatever it takes. >> reporter: along the pennsylvania turnpike, the streets will be closed before the speed restrictions are lifted. a ban on the tractor-trailer trucks goes into effect and speeds drop to 40 miles per hour. the high-speed easy pass lanes

will be shut down so workers with get to the roads, shoulders and bridges. and make sure they are clear. and if you wonder how they are going to know, it is up to charles jackson to drive it all. >> the bottom line is to be on the road to see what is happening. a difference of four miles can be a difference of four inches of snow. >> reporter: now back out here live, you're looking at germantown pike and plymouth township. the public works crews here in plymouth township are just about to come back to work. we are told they will start salting as soon as those first flakes start falling. many snow emergencies already active in townships throughout the county. remember, if you are parked on the routes, you will be towed. deanna durante, "nbc 10 news." and bracing for the worst, new jersey governor chris christie declared a state of emergency in the garden state. that means people should stay off the roads so they don't interfere with the emergency workers who are out in the dangerous conditions. >> here's a live look at philadelphia international airport where hundreds of

workers will be clearing ice and snow as it falls there. southwest airlines, though, has already canceled all of it its flights in philadelphia tomorrow. american airlines has no flights until 5:00 p.m. tomorrow night. now, if you are planning to fly tomorrow, you might want to check with your carrier. >> and nbc 10 will be with you every minute of this storm with everything you need to know to stay safe. we'll bring you special extended snow coverage throughout nbc primetime tonight. and tomorrow morning starting at 4:00 a.m. and when we're not on the air, you can get up to the second storm updates on the nbc 10 app. sign up for school closing alerts, get updated snow timing and totals and check out snow photos as that i come in. now to the other headlines we are following tonight. >> joe biden is teaming up with the university of delaware. the former vice president was on campus this afternoon as the school opened the biden institute. this is video of him at delaware's institute research center focusing on policy issues, economic reform, the

environment and civil rights. joe biden will serve as the founding chair. and prisons in delaware are getting a boost in security and increased staffing after a deadly prison revolt. new security equipment is going into all high-security prisons now and more money is being set aside in the budget next year. also in the budget, a plan to add 50 officers at the correctional center. that's where inmates took an officer prisoner and killed one of them. this is after many said they were understaffed. and in center city, a possible plan to place body cameras on philadelphia police officers. richard ross says the department wants to get it right. and they still have to look at things like cost and getting officers on board with the idea. the hearing also looked at whether the body camera program would promote transparency and accountability.

and pennsylvania lawmakers are taking new steps to crack down on undocumented immigrants. a group of republicans introduced the package of bills in harrisburg today. two of the bills aim to make it harder for undocumented immigrants to get jobs and benefits in pennsylvania. another one targets so-called sanctuary cities like philadelphia that offer safe harbor for undocumented immigrants. and president trump held the first cabinet meeting today as the debate over the proposed republican health care law rages on. a new estimate by the congressional budget office shows 14 million people would lose coverage next year under the gop plan. the white house disagrees with that estimate. high water and high winds. the biggest worries along the new jersey shore tonight. i'm ted greenberg. how people are preparing for the storm along the coast, next in a live report. yeah, they are going to get that but not much snow. what you see in this storm

depends on exactly where you live. so we are time things out neighborhood by neighborhood next in the first-alert forecast. and here's a live look at the wind turbines of lincoln financial field. we are expecting the winds to intensify as this storm approaches. and that could lead to a blizzard. our snow coverage continues next.

it's the calm before the storm right now at the jersey shore. you're looking live at cape may where conditions are calm. about 45 minutes away from sunset. but in just hours, this major winter storm will arrive. >> and tonight business owners at the shore have protecting their shops against any flooding threat. and crews are preparing the beaches, too. and nbc 10 jersey shore bureau reporter ted greenberg is joining us live in stone harbor, cape may county. people are not taking any chances with this storm. >> reporter: no, they are not, jim and jackie. the doors to the businesses are now blocked by flood gates, sandbags down, in some spots as well. here along the coast, the biggest concerns are flooding during tomorrow morning's high tide, heavy rain and very strong winds.

stone harbor business owners not taking any chances, sealing off their shops today to try to keep floodwaters out. >> i'm sandbagging the store so that we'll hope any water that comes over the curb won't bo in the shop. >> reporter: her congressman di merchandise came up off the floor of this boutique in case water comes inside. these shops were flooded from hurricane sandy and the nor'easter of 2016. >> we try to save as much display and furniture as we can, but definitely the merchandise, first. you just go to bed tonight and get up tomorrow to see what it is. >> reporter: in ocean city, public works crews fortifying beaches with barriers of sand before the surf starts raging. fumed by very strong winds. significant beach erosion a

major concern along the coast. >> we put out a reverse 911 call reminding residents to move their cars. >> reporter: and on streets prone to high water, barricades are already in place. >> if you find a path to get around the island, it is something to keep our eye on. it is something we go with here along the coast. >> reporter: and because of the high winds we're expecting, a major beach replacement project in avalon has been temporarily halted until the seas die down. live in stone harbor, ted greenberg, "nbc 10 news." >> that's understandable. thank you, ted. the first-alert weather team is timing out the blizzard threat hour by hour. >> let's go to chief meteorologist glenn "hurricane" schwartz. this is depending on where you live. >> the whole storm is just hours away, and there is going to be tremendous contrast from the shore to the areas inland.

the clouds from the storm are already in, so it's coming. we have a blizzard warning north and west of philadelphia. all snow there. and it is all snow where we get at least 12 inches. but it is not going to be all snow. this is philadelphia down to wilmington where it is changing to sleet and freezing rain. then back to snow at the end. and we'll add more to the total accumulation, but the sleet will compact that snow somewhat. and at the shore, mostly rain. gusts of 50 to 60-plus miles an hour. this is an area, the blizzard warning that includes trenton and reading and allentown and doylestown. all those areas get heavier snow in a typical storm. this is typical, a coastal flood warning, but only one high tide to worry about. a typical nor'easter, we would see at least two. we have two high tides to worry

about with this one. it would be really bad. here come the snow echoes not reaching the ground yet, but the atmosphere is getting more moist, that's for sure. this other area coming from chicago, well, these two areas are going to meet. and this one will be weakening as the coastal storm takes over, becomes a genuine nor'easter, and it explodes in intensity as we say. and it's going to be more intense over new england than it is here. so we're going to travel all over the northeast. we have winds coming ashore. the east to southeast wind is going to be increasing. we'll see it during the morning hour hours. avalon at 7:00 a.m. 9:00 a.m., 51. so it's going into the 40s for gusts even up through philadelphia and points to the

north and west. so that's one of the reasons for the blizzard warning. here comes the snow, and it's in here by late this evening. it sticks quickly because the roads are cold from all that cold weather we had, unlike last week's snow. but there's heavy rain to the south. and the area of potentially heavy sleet right over philadelphia, right there at 7:00, maybe even thunder sleet, thunder snow inland, thunderstorms with rain. it's going to be wild. 7:00 to 9:00 a.m., there's heavy snow coming back. that's the cold air coming in as they get thunderstorms along the coast. and there's more snow at noontime. and then things taper off later in the day. so it's not going to be an all-day thing. this is a fairly quick-moving storm. and if it wasn't, there would be a lot more falling, if you can imagine that. and meteorologist tammie souza

has more on how much will be falling. >> glenn, something we were talking about, because it's a wet, heavy snow, we could see some of the tree branches coming down with all the new buds on them. so that is something to be aware of if you have a lot of tree branches that are over your house or over your roofline. this is going to be a heavy snow in some places picking up a foot of that, sticking to the branch that is are there. you might hear the crack of branches coming down toward dawn. all right, it looks like cotton candy. this is the map of the snow totals. again, the high end for the burkes and lehigh area and off into the pocanos, that could be more than 20 inches. it could easily be in some places with thunder snow coming down at two to three inches an hour. that could end up being perhaps as much as two feet or more. then we see this demarcation. it really rapidly drops off. and once you get out to the jersey shore, you're looking at much lower totals. we'll take a look at philadelphia specifically. all pretty much in the blue, which would be 8 to 12 inches, that doesn't count with the sleet and rain that could fall

to tamper down. but let's go ahead and take a look specifically at some of the snow totals. because it is a pretty good range. this is the forecast model. this shows 10.4 inches in chestnut hill. down to about 6.4 at the airport. so if that is what sticks to the ground, that is still substantial. and that still makes for some very nice snowball making snow. but if it gets wet and heavy, it's going to be a mess. as we look at boathouse row, things are pretty quiet. but tomorrow the winds will be slapping around at a high speed. and we'll see snow on top of the boats. >> the poeople are noticing day one, what timing to have you here covering major storms. because you are used to covering major storms. >> i'm used to covering blizzards out of chicago. this is the fourth time i have started a new job and brought a blizzard with me. so i'm not sure if that's a good thing or bad thing, but i'm so excited to be here.

and we're going to get up to speed. glenn has been really educating me on the history of the major nor'easters, which i appreciate. >> and i started my job here just before the blizzard of '96. i was like one month in when that storm happened. >> so it's both of you, hence why this is here. >> we're glad to have you. >> thank you. and glenn and tammie, the rest of the first-alert weather team, they have you covered throughout the major storm. you're going to get live updates throughout the storm on nbc primetime programming tonight. and, of course, join us for the latest timing of snow totals coming up at 11:00. and with that, we'll be right back. dear fellow citizen,

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hey, good to see you. it is tournament time. in just three days, we'll see the winner of mount st. mary's. here's nova departing earlier this afternoon. they left a day early to beat the snowstorm in buffalo. >> i think when you're a one seed to fans and to media, it would look like a failure. but we're not -- you know, we're not afraid of failure. we're not afraid of people defining us as failures as long as we play hard for each other. we're good. >> and soak it in. there's that mug of keith jones traveling with the wildcats this week in buffalo. watch live reports from nbc 10 for behind-the-scenes access to the team. in eagles news, benny logan signed a one-year contract with the chiefs today. and the eagles signed nick foles

in a two-year deal to return to team where he once was a starter. chase daniels asked to be released. and the phillies lost to the orioles in sarasota. we'll be right back.

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welcome back. a live look at broad street from center city. we are all dry now, but this picture is going to look very different at this time tomorrow night. right, glenn? >> oh, yeah. the big moisture down south moves into the cold air. and that adds up to snow. and it's going to add up more north and west of philadelphia because it's going to be all snow. and that is 15 to 20 inches or more up in the lehigh valley, burkes county, upper bucks, montgomery county seeing that. and then in philadelphia, we're talking about generally 8 to 12 inches with less toward the shore. >> and updates throughout the evening. that's the news at 6:00.

i'm jim rosenfield. we'll be back with live updates throughout the night and on the nbc 10 app. >> good night. nightly news is up next. breaking news tonight. blizzard emergency. the biggest storm of the season takes aim at the east coast. 85 million under advisories. up to 2 feet of snow in the forecast. travel already a nightmare. al roker is tracking it all. replacing obamacare. there's late word on the impact of the gop's new plan. millions more uninsured and premiums could go up. wiretap when it lash. the white house offering a different explanation for president trump's explosive claims against president obama. nbc news investigation. u.s. authorities seizing cell phones, demanding passwords from american citizens, all without a warrant, and it's legal. new pain relief. a game-changing treatment for arthritis sufferers. inspiring america. a major m