As the East Coast prepares to face Snowpocalypse, the city of Philadelphia will declare a snow emergency starting today at  6 p.m. “We could be looking up to 18 hours of snowfall activity. The heaviest snowfall is expected to begin between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m.,” said Mayor Michael Nutter at a press conference.

At the moment the National Weather Service is predicting 10 to 14 inches snowfall in the Philadelphia area, beginning this evening and continuing through Tuesday morning. Nutter said winds gusting to 30 mph and temperatures plunging into the teens or low 20s will impact the city’s ability to fight the storm.

While public and Catholic schools dismissed students at noon, non-essential employees were able to return home at 2 p.m. Regular Tuesday trash and recycling collections have been cancelled for tomorrow.

For Philadelphia citizens, snow emergency means all cars that are currently parked on snow emergency routes must be moved before 6 p.m. tonight. “There will be heavy and severe enforcement on all snow emergency routes, if you don’t move your car it will be towed,” Nutter said. 

If you don’t know where the snow emergency routes are visit www.philadelphiastreets.com. 

SEPTA’s Subway and El will continue to operate on a normal schedule throughout the evening.  Bus routes may be delayed/detoured or suspended and residents should check www.septa.org for the latest updates.

All property owners are also required to clear a path of at least 3 feet in front of their property within 6 hours of the snow event ending, including curb cuts. If senior or disabled citizens need help shoveling they can call 311 to request a volunteer to help once conditions are safe to travel.

“The Street Department has full commitment to fight this storm. 375 pieces of equipment will be on the street during and after the storm and there will be 800 people involved in the snow fight,” Nutter said. “With current snow conditions, our goal is to clear residential streets within 48 to 72 hours after snowfall ends.”

Nutter said it Is impossible to predict what is going to happen tomorrow and encouraged residents to stay tuned for a 6:30 p.m. update to talk about overnight, tomorrow morning and the rest of Tuesday.

For more School District information and updates, contact the District's information hotline at 215-400-INFO (4636) or visit www.philasd.org.

Other City Twitter accounts to follow for information: @PhiladelphiaGov; @Philly311; @PhilaStreets; @PhillyPolice; and @PhillyFireDept.