"action news" delaware valley's leading news program. with rick williams, sara bloomquist, and meteorologist, david murphy. the blizzard of 2016 is taking aim at the east coast. right now it's slamming the carolinas and tennessee on its

way to the tri-state area and the prospect of our first big winter snow has the delaware and lehigh valleys preparing to ride out the storm. sara bloomquist is off and the big story is the blizzard warning set to take effect later tonight. as we look live outside from sky 6 hd showing you the center city skyline, as you can say it's the calm before the storm. we have live team coverage beginning with david murphy and melissa magee, lets start with you david at the big board. >> i'll start with the live view of stormtracker 6 live double scan which is a large system at this point. you can see the clockwise pinwheeling and extending to the east and the moisture from the gulf rides over the front we create a robust snow shield extending over virginia and some of this is pushing up toward washington, d.c. at this hour and it all gets worse when we

develop the coastal low and nor'easter and that passes us late tonight and tomorrow. the heavy snow bands are starting to push towards us, an unsettling view around stormtracker 6 live double scan, down in baltimore you see light snow beginning to develop. close to us this is far from the radar and this super level precipitation, it is an indication of the atmosphere moistening up and later in the evening we expect the arrival of what will be a long snow event. the first thing to talk about is the blizzard warning, it's upgraded this morning, this is where the poorest visibility will be and the warning areas to the north and south, we are still looking at a lot of snow and poor driving visibility as well. and the southern portion of delaware below dover and cape may county and coastal atlantic county, the winds are blustery and gusty coming in and wires

and tree have a chance of fall tlg. and the watch saturday into sunday as the nor'easter comes in a high tide and lunar high tide gives us a chance for coastal flooding. melissa magee is joining us taking us from here for the rest of the event. >> lets talk about the blizzard warning, as you mentioned it's extended from a watch to a warning. blizzard conditions are expected tonight through sunday morning. it's not so much having to do with the amount of snow we are expecting even though we are expecting a lot of it's the helpth of time with strong winds sustained or gusting over 35 miles per hour and snow reducing visibility to a quarter mile or less and it looks to be the case fort duration of this storm tracking what moves in tonight. we are not expecting weather

related travel delays, mostly cloudy and temperatures in the mid to lower 20s, no issues if you are out and b the bulk of the moisture and snowfall moves in at the tail end of the rush in philadelphia. future tracker 6 showing you we sped up the timeline of the snowfall, south and west of south jersey, at 5:00 this evening, by 8:00 or 9:00 it's approaching the i-95 corridor and goes through the overnight hours and the height of the storm moves in overnight tonight and throughout the day tomorrow. 6 to 12 inches for allentown reading northern lancaster county. 12 to 18 inches philadelphia for areas south and west. and 3 to 6 for the poconos and across the immediate coast south of atlantic city and wildwood as you are away from the center of the storm and along the immediate coast we expect to see mixing and would not be surprise

if there was a location close to eastern maryland where we pick up 18 inches or more of snowfall. this is something we'll fine tune for the rest of the afternoon. coming up meteorologist, david murphy, returns we'll have more impacts and the significant beach erosion on the way with our coastal storm and our first major storm of the season. >> all right melissa thank you. meanwhile, penndot crews are getting ready for a busy weekend, it will take a lot of work to clear the roads once the snow begins to fall and annie mccormick is live along route 202 in king of prussia with more on that. penndot is preparing for days and ideally the storm will miss rush hour but if it doesn't, they are still prepared it's all hands on deck for the employees that are working through the weekend. >> the highways and byways manned by penndot are quiet now, they know that the roadways will

not be still for long. >> it's calm out there at this point, it's the routine friday, very dry and a normal rush hour. at the crack of down at the salt yard owned a few vehicles manned the salt piles, after brining the region many crews are resting before they get the call tonight. >> the trucks will be loaded with salt and as the snow begins to fall we'll start salting the roads. the fact that the snow comes over weekend is a huge help for salt trucks and commuters, except for those that have to head to work in the middle of the snowfall. >> i'm expressed about not being home, you want to be home during a big storm in case something happens. >> reporter: penndot is looking ahead to monday and they are optimistic they can have the roads cleared. annie mccormick, channel 6

"action news." >> thank you. lets go live to city hall where mayor jim kenney and other city leaders are providing an update on the city's plans to handle the storm. >> philadelphia parking authority and the airport who are all here today and all who have been working together to prepare for this snow event. as managing director i'll be declaring a snow emergency for the city of philadelphia effective at 9:00 p.m. tonight. for citizens this means all parked cars must now be move off snow emergency routes. if you move your car off of the snow emergency roof, please park your car as far from the corner as possible. vehicles parked too close to the corner impede the turning radius of salting and plowing

equipment. snow emergency routes could be found on philadelphiastreets.com. and they are also marked by signs on the streets. cars left on snow emergency routes will be relocated to accommodate plowing operations, if your car is relocated please call 215-686-snow and you'll find it there. additionally as a result of the snow emergency, all libraries and recreation centers will be closed this weekend. and hearings scheduled for parking tickets and citations are also canceled. the payment serpt at -- center will be closed. we will be extending 311 hours.

they will be tonight until 10:00 p.m., saturday 8:00 a.m. until 10:00 p.m. sunday 8:00 a.m. until midnight and monday 6:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. once the snow emergency is declared we will also ask philadelphians to stay indoors and off the road whenever possible. we also ask you to exercise common exception when being out in the elements and during what we think will be blizzard conditions. please also check on older friends and neighbors before today's snow storm to ensure they have heat and to offer transportation and help like running errands and grocery shopping.

citizens should contact project home reach hot line if they see a homeless person in need of assistance during the storm. >> the city also requires that dog owners bring their pets indoors in the event of extreme cold. ignoring this could result in a fine of up to $500, if you see a dog or other pet outside, police call act philly at 267-385-3800. now, i will turn the mike over to our director of emergency management, sam phillips -- >> good afternoon thank you. i would like to give you an update on the current weather forecast, we use for planning throughout the weekend and the activation of the city's

emergency operations center. when we were here yesterday we were under a blizzard watch upgraded now to a blizzard warning, beginning tonight and extended through sunday morning we are in a blizzard warning, we are preparing for high winds as well. the national weather service forecasted that we are likely to receive between 12 to 18 inches of snow however it's not unlikely that that could range closer to 20 inches and that is what we are preparing for. we will likely see high winds with gusts between 25 and 45 miles per hour, that is concerning because tomorrow the snow while it will begin a light fluffy mixture, it will become heavy and wet snow at times and with heavy winds we are concerned about the possible fof downed trees and actsist to take on our power infra structure. we are activating the city's emergency operation center at 8:00 p.m. tonight, that begins

as a partial activation and focused on transportation agencies and certainly the streets department and their operations and public safety and the towing operations that will go in effect with the snow emergency declaration at 9:00. we transition to a full activation at 8:00 a.m. tomorrow than will last until the duration of the storm and through much of the cleanup. thank you. >> good afternoon. the plowing operations for the impending storm will require full deployment across city agencies, over 400 plows and 6 huh personnel will be on the street. we ask that our citizens use extreme caution if they must travel on the roadway and limit that travel if it is possible. so they can stay off the roads

as much as possible from friday night to sunday morning, it will be most helpful for the work that must be done and given the conditions we are expecting. when people are at home they should be shoveling their sidewalks, after the snow has stopped, a 3 foot wide walkways should be created for pedestrians on sidewalks and at the curbs. and encourage people to shovel multiple times during the storm because it's a long storm. you don't have to worry about dehydration or other conditions that occur from overexertion. dress properly if you are in the elements. with regard to transportation we are advised that the philadelphia international airport has canceled all flights on saturday and we encourage everyone to check their flight status before leaving for the

airport even today. and certainly on sunday to check for their flight status. call your airline or you can get updates at 1-800-phl-gate or phl.org. i will introduce you now the executive director of the philadelphia parking authority. >> thank you. i only have a few things to say, starting at 5:00 this afternoon all of the philadelphia parking authority garages will be available for parking throughout the snow storm for $5 a night. and that will be until 7:00 a.m. sunday morning or longer as directed by the mayor. as far as snow money routes, the parking authority will be doing the clearing of the snow

emergency routes and fines associated for $125 if you are ticketed and towed. try to avoid that. we start at 5:00. please do not park on the snow emergency routes. we don't want to toe you. but in the interest of keeping the city open we have to do our job and we would like everyone's cooperation. thank you. i forgot my transcript, i would like to introduce septa's general manager. >> thank you. this is no normal winter storm. strong winds will lead to near 0 visibility and cause trees to fall on overhead power lines along our railroads. these extreme weather conditions are causing septa to suspend

most operations for a 24 hour period starting saturday morning at 4:00 a.m. the actual end point of the suspension is subject to change as conditions worsen or continue. the exception is the broad street and market frankford lines, we plan to keep these lines running continuously, they are important to carry emergency personnel, hospital employees and other essential workers during the storm. please be aware that trains and trolleys may still be seen running during this service suspense, these vehicles are operated at pilot vehicles to help with the efforts to keep snow and ice from building up on the rails and overhead wires. customers that use cct connect service are encouraged to move medical appointments to today, saturday will be limited to

dialysis patients only. some 100 inhouseworkers plus 500 contractors on the railroad will be deployed throughout the system to battle the elements, we hope to restore most of our service early sunday morning but downed trees and road conditions will dictate what services we can continue to run. all notices will be posted on septa's website and social media, with simultaneous alerts sent to the local news media and local stations. septa's twitter feeds are a great source for alerts. if you are not following us now is a good time to start. i would like to thank the workforce for the long difficult hours ahead of us. septa will suspend all services

accident the market frankford and broad street lines. we urge everyone that does not need to travel to stay home during this severe winter storm event. it's my pleasure to announce mayor kenney for his remarks. >> i want to address two operational service issues. because of the martin luther king holiday that we have observed those that have normal collections for friday would normally be picked up tomorrow on saturday. because trash trucks are converted to snow removal plows, we will not have trash or recycling connection on tomorrow saturday. those who normally have friday trash and recycling services will not have those services this week work ask people to

retain their trash and recycling until next week, we regret the invention but the equipment will be converted to snowplows instead of collection vehicles. also, next week due to the conditions we are expecting, all rear driveway collections will be canceled. trash will only be picked up in the front of homes as opposed to the rear in the private driveways. please pull all of your materials at the curb side not at the rear. secondly with regard to water systems, those that have outdoor lines that may be uninsulated or unprotected. you need to do what you can to insulate those lines because of freezing temperatures that we are expecting. additionally you may want to consider allowing your line to have a small drip on it, total have water continue to flow through it, so the pipes do not

freeze and subsequently burst. those that have cracks in windows, consider installation to your windows to protect the pipes in your homes and do all you can to avoid pipes bursting during the winter system. please consider allowing your water to trickle in order to keep flow through your lines. thank you. >> and thank you. i want to thank everyone up here for their hard work and preparation, i am happy with this team and their competency and the fact that we'll get through this. one reason we went back to a strong director system it makes the services better for philadelphians every day and when events like this happen, we see clearly today that we are all prepared. most importantly i want to thank our workers, our city employees will be out there doing the hard work infringid temperatures of clearing our streets and keeping

us safe. i know it can can frustrating during the storms when you think about the workers working through the conditions and putting themselves in harm's way and we can stay home and wham with our families, i suggest netflix and pay per view, enjoy being home and don't go out until it's safe to go out. and we'll give you the all clear. i can open it up to any questions. we were that thorough? good. >> mayor -- [ inaudible ] i know you start at 9:00 -- [ inaudible ]. >> i'll let samantha phillips do that, we don't want to frighten people unnecessarily to the point where they have to be in. people for some reason or

another they think the money is over, it's easier for everyone involved to be as normal as possible commerce and business and people until it gets to the point where we need to get indoors and be safe. >> all right we have been listening to mayor kenney and other officials providing an update on the city of philadelphia's plans to handle the storm. not the least of which is a snow money imposed tonight at 9:00. the mayor is urging residents to move all vehicles off snow emergency routes, or they will be moved for you. we'll recap everything beginning on "action news" at 4:00 this afternoon. we'll take a quick break. i drive a golf ball.

i drive to the hoop. i drive a racecar. i have a driver.

his name is carl. but that's not what we all have in common. we talked to our doctors about treatment with xarelto®. xarelto® is proven to treat and help reduce the risk of dvt and pe blood clots. xarelto® is also proven to reduce the risk of stroke in people with afib, not caused by a heart valve problem. for people with afib currently well managed on warfarin, there is limited information on how xarelto® and warfarin compare in reducing the risk of stroke. you know, taking warfarin, i had to deal with that blood testing routine. i couldn't have a healthy salad whenever i wanted. i found another way. yeah, treatment with xarelto®. hey, safety first. like all blood thinners, don't stop taking xarelto® without talking to your doctor, as this may increase your risk of a blood clot or stroke. while taking, you may bruise more easily and it may take longer for bleeding to stop. xarelto® may increase your risk of bleeding if you take certain medicines. xarelto® can cause serious and in rare cases, fatal bleeding. get help right away for unexpected bleeding, unusual bruising, or tingling. if you have had spinal anesthesia while on xarelto®, watch for back pain or any nerve or muscle related signs or symptoms. do not take xarelto® if you have an artificial

heart valve or abnormal bleeding. tell your doctor before all planned medical or dental procedures. before starting xarelto®, tell your doctor about any kidney, liver, or bleeding problems. xarelto® is the number one prescribed blood thinner in its class. well that calls for a round of kevin nealons. make mine an arnold palmer. same here. with xarelto® there is no regular blood monitoring and no known dietary restrictions. treatment with xarelto® was the right move for us. ask your doctor about xarelto®. meteorologist, david murphy, is here now with an update on what to expect today and tomorrow. >> we are clouding up and stormtracker 6 live double scan in the meantime, no snow yet but there will be later on in the evening. sky 6 hd showing you the clouds

are thicker more so than at dawn. temperature is 26 degrees and winds northeast at 9 miles per hour and the windchill make its feel like 18 degrees. so cold out there but you can get out and get things done. the storm is still spot south and west of us waiting for the coastal low to develop and the coastal shield is well to the south and west. we don't think we'll have any problems in most areas. future tracker 6's latest run by 4:00, 4:30 in the afternoon, parts of the southern area is about to get hit, the first snowflakes and we go up to 11:00 tonight. it's in the overnight hours and into tomorrow, this is 8:00 saturday morning where we expect the latest snow to be falling this continues throughout saturday at 11:00 and it's starting to break up and gets out of here pretty fast, each

model run seems to end the snow sooner and sooner and we should be dry by the time drawn breaks on sunday. 12 to 18 inches in the center portion of the region, notice this white to the west, that is the point west where we go as high as a couple of feet of snow, it would not be out of the question that we start to draw the higher numbers into philadelphia and we'll be back on the air at 4:00 with that. future tracker 6 showing wind gusts of course, saturday look out, 63 miles per hour gusts at the shore and that gives us problems with coastal flooding especially at high tide early tomorrow morning and early saturday evening and sun morning. the snow holds off until the evening and where you don't officially have that you have snow and wind and that is an all day thing all the way into saturday night. it winds up early in the predawn hours of sun and sunday is cold.

and things are getting better but right now blizzard warnings are in effect. a rough day tomorrow. >> quick break.

stormtracker 6 live double scan radar showing you the massive winter storm making its way here. it packs quite a punch. good afternoon again, we

continue our coverage. approaching storm. we went from a blizzard watch to a warning but no matter where you live we expect it to be a major storm. just a short time ago the mayor of philadelphia declared a snow emergency in the city and that starts at 9:00 and meanwhile our meteorologists continue to track the storm. we'll check in with melissa magee is a moment but first david murphy with accuweather. >> this is what the models showed since sunday or monday and an area of low pressure from atlanta and a front extending to the south and warm moist air creating a wide swath of warm air from the southern part of virginia up through washington and some of the light precipitation coming closer to us at this point. all of this will get a lot worse overnight tonight and into tomorrow when we get a coastal low pressur