(Smyrna) – A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect until 3pm tomorrow, Tuesday, January 27.

The National Weather Service forecast is for up to 8-10 inches of snow in far northern New Castle County, 6-8 inches in southern New Castle County (south of Wilmington), 6-8 inches in northern Kent County with 2-4 inches in southern Kent County, and 2-3 inches in northern Sussex County.  Sussex County has experienced rain through most of the afternoon and the National Weather Service has some concerns about flooding in low lying areas of the county.

High winds will accompany this storm, and winds along the coast tomorrow could gust 40-50 MPH.  A Coastal Flood Warning will be in effect from 11 PM this evening to 7 AM Tuesday. This will impact coastal areas of New Jersey Delaware, including the Delaware Bay. Moderate flooding is anticipated around the time of tonight’s high tide.

The Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) says its crews have been working all day to stay ahead of any snow or ice accumulation on roadways.  Crews in New Castle and Kent Counties are still working, treating roads with salt, while Sussex County crews will be called in if needed.

No large areas of power outages have been reported.

For information on school closures, log on to http://schoolclosings.delaware.gov/.

DOVER – State of Delaware offices in New Castle County will open at 10 a.m. Non-essential employees who live or work in New Castle County do not report until 10 a.m. Essential employees are to report as scheduled.

(Smyrna) – Another round of precipitation will move through the state tonight beginning as rain, then changing over to snow.

National Weather Service forecasters say an additional 2-4 inches of accumulation could occur in northern Delaware, with 1-2 inches more of snow further south into Kent County.  this evening’s snow will also be wet and heavy and the danger it brings comes in the form of broken tree branches and downed power lines.  Winds will have sustained speeds of 20 to 25 MPH with gusts up to 35 MPH.  Temperatures will be dropping as the night progresses, which brings the possibility of ice to the state.  A Coastal Flood Advisory is posted, with concerns about the impact of the winds at high tide.

There have been scattered power outages across the state today, but currently Delmarva Power reports fewer than 50 customers without power.  Information on school closings, can be found on the State of Delaware School Closings website (http://schoolclosings.delaware.gov/).

Delaware Emergency Management Agency (DEMA) officials, along with the National Weather Service, are keeping an eye on a storm system that will move through the area on Friday that could bring a couple of inches of new snow overnight Friday into Saturday morning.

DOVER – State of Delaware offices in Kent County and Sussex County will open at 10 a.m. Non-essential employees who live or work in Kent County or Sussex County do not report until 10 a.m. Essential employees are to report as scheduled.

(Smyrna) – The State of Emergency in Delaware was lifted by Governor Jack Markell at 10am this morning, along with the Level 1 Driving Warning.  All state offices are closed today, during the regular business hours of 8am to 4:30pm.  Non-essential state employees are not to report for work during this period, while essential employees should report as scheduled.  Government offices in all three counties as well as the cities of Wilmington, Newark, Dover and others across the state also closed today.

Winds will be 15-20 MPH today with gusts up to 30 MPH.  Bitterly cold air will through the remainder of the week and temperatures are not expected to rise above freezing until Saturday.  The cold and wind are combining to create dangerous wind chills.

Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) reports that salt is ineffective on roads when temperatures are in the single digits, and crews are working against winds that blow snow back onto cleared roads.  Major roads in New Castle and Kent Counties are covered with ice and slush, and the speed limit on I495 and the Roth Bridge (SR 1) is reduced to 45 MPH.  The snow ended later in Sussex County this morning where roads are wet with light snow and minimal accumulation.   Travel will remain hazardous due to snow covered roadways and drifting, and those conditions will continue throughout the day Wednesday.  The commute on Wednesday afternoon will be impacted by blowing and drifting snow, especially in open areas.

There were a total of 1,721 power outages across the state, with most occurring this morning when 1686 Delaware Electric Cooperative customers in Sussex County lost electricity.  As of 11am, fewer than 500 customers of Delmarva Power and Delaware Electric Cooperative are without power.

All school districts in Delaware are closed today.  Wednesday, January 22^nd.  Some colleges and universities have posted their status on school websites, with Wilmington University and Goldey-Beacom and Wesley Colleges closed.  Delaware Technical and Community College Stanton, Wilmington, Terry and Owens campuses are closed.  The University of Delaware will be opening at noon.