Philly schools learning virtually Tuesday, city offices closed
All schools within the School District of Philadelphia will remain on virtual learning Tuesday. Early Childhood Centers and the Constance E. Clayton Education Center will operate virtually. All after-school activities have been canceled.
City offices and courts will remain closed Tuesday.
SEPTA service restored
As of Monday afternoon, 37 bus routes have been restored. The majority of routes will be restored on Tuesday.
City trolley routes have been fully restored.
Regional Rail service will return Tuesday, though trains will run on the Saturday schedule.
SEPTA General Manager Scott Sauer said crews have not found any issues with the system’s infrastructure following the winter storm.
“Travel’s been very light today as expected with schools and many offices either closed or offering flexible options,” Sauer said. “We will get as much service as possible back for tomorrow for those who do have to return to somewhat-normal travel.”
PATCO, NJ Transit and Amtrak resumed service Monday on modified schedules. Riders are encouraged to continue allowing extra travel time and check for service updates.
People flying out of Philadelphia International Airport should check directly with their airline for the latest flight status and updates. SEPTA’s Airport Line is currently suspended due to the weather conditions.
Power grid impacts
The storm’s light, powdery snow meant few local power outages occurred, but frigid temperatures will remain all week. The region’s grid operator expects Tuesday to set a daily record for electricity usage of 147,200 megawatts.
PJM Interconnection manages the electric grid that serves about 67 million people living in 13 Midwestern and Mid-Atlantic states — including Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware.
While local power outages were minimal, outages at power plants totaled about 20,000 MW, or about 15% of Sunday’s electricity demand, according to PJM.
Subfreezing temperatures can cause natural gas transmission lines, pipes and valves to freeze and force shutdowns at well heads. Still, the grid operator said it has enough power reserves to last throughout the week.
The Trump administration is waiving air pollution rules to allow some power plants to operate at full capacity. PJM has also instituted demand response, a program where customers that had previously agreed to cut back on their usage get paid to do so.