SUSSEX COUNTY, Del. - Town and city crews across Sussex County are ramping up preparations for a weekend winter storm that could bring a mix of snow, sleet and ice, with officials urging people to finalize supplies, limit travel once conditions deteriorate and keep roads clear for plows.
The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm watch for Sussex County from 7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 24, through 1 p.m. Monday, Jan. 26, with forecasts still fluctuating on totals and the potential for periods of wintry mix.
In Georgetown on Thursday, Town Manager Gene Dvornick said leaders were meeting with department heads, including public works and police, to plan for possible snow emergency routes and to ensure equipment is ready.
Georgetown’s priority, Dvornick said, is keeping routes open that connect key public safety and municipal facilities. He said DelDOT maintains Market and Bedford streets, while town operations focus one block off those corridors to link the ambulance garage on Front Street with the National Guard armory on Pine Street, the firehouse on Bedford Street, the public works garage and the police station. Dvornick said the town has about five vehicles prepared to operate during the storm.
With the possibility of sleet and ice increasing the risk of hazardous travel and outages, Dvornick said town facilities have generators and the town has salt on hand that can be mixed with sand. He emphasized that keeping roads clear for plows is critical if conditions worsen and asked commercial property operators not to push snow back into streets after plows pass. He also reminded property owners to clear sidewalks within 24 hours after snowfall.
In Seaford, Tricia Newcomer, the director of economic development and community relations, said public works crews plan to begin brining city-maintained roads on Friday, focusing on streets under city responsibility while state-maintained routes are handled separately. She said crews were monitoring forecasts and expected to be in plows as the storm’s most significant portion arrives, with operations aimed first at maintaining at least one open lane of travel before widening roads after the storm slackens.
Newcomer said staying home when conditions worsen helps crews clear streets more efficiently. She said the city is sharing winter weather tips through its website and social media, including guidance intended to reduce the amount of snow pushed back into driveways after plows pass.
Preparation is also underway in Laurel. Public works officials said the town has more than 200 metric tons of salt staged for use this weekend. Public Works Director James Foskey said Thursday’s focus was fine-tuning equipment and confirming everything is in working order.
Officials across the county continue to urge people to monitor updated forecasts and to plan ahead for colder conditions and changing precipitation types through the weekend.
Stay up to date on the approaching winter storm with radar and hourly forecasts in the WBOC weather app, available for Apple and Android.
Manténgase informado sobre la tormenta invernal que se acerca a nuestra área con la aplicación del tiempo de Telemundo Delmarva, disponible para Apple y Android.