On Jeopardy!, contestants give their answers in the form of a question. Scott Riccardi’s should’ve been, “How do you pronounce Schuylkill?”
During Tuesday’s episode, the New Jersey native and his two competitors were given a U.S. geography clue close to home: “Pottsville & Reading both lie on this river that enters the Delaware at Philadelphia.”
Riccardi answered the clue correctly, but only after host Ken Jennings paused to determine if his pronunciation — “Skol-kull” — was close enough to award him $1,600.
As least he got the correct river. TJ Fisher, a marketing specialist from San Francisco, guessed “Lackawanna,” nailing the pronunciation but missing the answer by more than 100 miles.
Paolo Pasco, a puzzle writer originally from San Diego, Calif., didn’t buzz in.
For the record, it’s pronounced “Skoo-kl.” One 15th century mapmaker just cut to the chase and labeled it the “Scool Kill River,” which would’ve been much easier to say and spell.
Jeopardy! is in the finals of its annual Tournament of Champions, which featured the show’s most recent top contestants. Pasco won Monday and Tuesday, and needs just one more victory to win the tournament and collect its $250,000 prize.
To judge the move in more definitive terms would be irresponsible given the amount of time that still remains between now and Thursday’s NBA trade deadline. The final verdict depends on what happens next. If nothing happens next, then, yeah, the Sixers’ decision to jettison their promising 2024 first-round pick will rank somewhere on a spectrum between “underwhelming” and “foolish.” If their primary motivation was to duck below the luxury tax yet again, it will be a level beyond foolish. It will be criminal.
That being said, there are a lot of other ifs in play, many of them more plausible than Daryl Morey viewing a legitimate asset as a cost-savings vehicle. The NBA’s in-season hot stove is sizzling right now. The Mavericks traded All-Star center Anthony Davis to the Wizards, thereby finalizing their aggregate return for Luka Doncic at a grand total of three first-round picks, each of which is more likely to be closer to No. 30 than to No. 1. Trade rumors continue to circulate around Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, with suitors like the Timberwolves and Heat jockeying to present Milwaukee with an offer that will convince it to strike a deal now rather than wait for the offseason. There are a lot of dominoes left to fall, and the Sixers could easily end up toppling one — or being one.
As of Wednesday night, there were no indications that the Sixers were gearing up to make a legitimate run at acquiring Giannis, who was previously reported to be intrigued by the possibility of teaming up with Tyrese Maxey and the Sixers. Such a move would almost certainly require the Sixers to part with rookie star V.J. Edgecombe. That’s a move they almost certainly will not do.
But the Sixers could easily end up involved on the periphery of the Giannis talks. If Minnesota is determined/desperate to add Giannis, then it would presumably need to be desperate/determined to acquire the first-round picks that the Bucks would require (the Timberwolves don’t have much in the way of draft capital to trade). Minnesota’s determination/desperation creates some intriguing possibilities for a third team that does have first-round picks it can trade. The dream scenario would be someone like young sweet-shooting big man Naz Reid becoming available. A more realistic opportunity could come in the form of former Villanova-turned-Knicks-turned-Timberwolves grinder Donte DiVincenzo.
I’m throwing those names out there mostly as for-instances. The world remains Morey’s oyster until the clock strikes 3 p.m. EST on Thursday.
After less than two seasons with the Sixers, Jared McCain is saying goodbye to the City of Brotherly Love — and fans are saying goodbye to McCain, who was a favorite for rookie of the year last season before suffering a knee injury.
“Mom how good was Jared McCain during his rookie year before getting injured” pic.twitter.com/wYt7f4BsZR
But it wasn’t just his presence on the court that Sixers fans were falling in love with. McCain also made a name for himself on social media, boasting 4.9 million followers on TikTok and 1.9 million followers on Instagram.
So it’s no surprise that Philly fans took to social media to express their condolences about the trade. That’s right, condolences. Sixers fans are mourning the trade and reluctantly saying farewell to McCain in the process.
The fact that Sam Presti wants Jared McCain is a reason not to trade Jared McCain https://t.co/A8EAX9YyTL
I would guess that this is setting up another move, though. If part of the calculus here was ducking the tax, that’s outrageous https://t.co/ta3KRTdUZn
Bulls trading Coby White, Mike Conley Jr. to the Hornets: ESPN
Just in: The Chicago Bulls are trading Coby White and Mike Conley Jr. to the Charlotte Hornets for Collin Sexton, Ousmane Dieng and three second-round picks, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/NnHXT5b8lR
Sixers trading Jared McCain to the Thunder for draft picks
The Sixers are trading Jared McCain to the Thunder.
Jared McCain’s tenure with the 76ers is over.
A source confirmed the team is trading the second-year guard to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for the Houston Rockets’ 2026 first-round pick and three second-round selections. One of the second-rounders is the 2027 most favorable pick from the Oklahoma City, Houston, Indiana Pacers, and the Miami Heat. The other second-rounders are the 2028 Milwaukee Bucks and 2028 Thunder picks.
McCain averaged 6.6 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 1.7 assists while shooting 37.8% on three-pointers in 37 games this season. Moving the 21-year-old also enabled the Sixers to free up an additional roster spot and get below the luxury tax threshold.
The Sixers are just $1.2 million above the tax threshold after receiving $5.8 million in tax-variance credit due to Paul George’s 25-game unpaid suspension for violating the NBA’s Anti-Drug Program. Now, they’re $3 million below after getting rid of McCain’s $4.2 million salary.
McCain had his rookie season cut short because of a torn meniscus in his left knee. And on top of that December 2024 injury, he had the start of this season delayed after suffering a torn ligament in his right thumb in September.
The 16th pick of the 2024 draft averaged 10.0 points while making 38.1% on his three-pointers in 60 career games with the Sixers.
BREAKING: The Dallas Mavericks are trading 10-time NBA All-Star Anthony Davis, Jaden Hardy, D'Angelo Russell and Dante Exum to the Washington Wizards for Khris Middleton, AJ Johnson, Malaki Branham, Marvin Bagley III, 2 first-round picks and 3 second-rounders, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/sfrQQubI5i
An NBA trade deadline week stunner. Clearly, the Wizards have completed their deconstruction phase and are now moving toward Young and Davis leading a rising young core. Washington has turned its previous Bradley Beal and Kyle Kuzma trades into Young, Davis and five pick swaps.
Can Sixers counter moves by other Eastern Conference teams?
The Sixers could use immediate help due to Paul George’s suspension.
The Eastern Conference remains tightly packed, with three games separating the second-place New York Knicks and sixth-place 76ers entering Wednesday.
Eastern Conference standings
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And some of the teams above the Sixers have already begun bolstering their roster, with more than 24 hours remaining before Thursday’s deadline.
The Cleveland Cavaliers traded for former Sixer James Harden, sending All-Star Darius Garland to the Los Angeles Clippers. The Boston Celtics shored up their center spot by acquiring Nikola Vucevic from the Chicago Bulls in exchange for Anfernee Simons. And the Detroit Pistons, who remain comfortably at the top of the conference, added sharpshooter Kevin Huerter in exchange for Jaden Ivey.
How could the Sixers counter? Their roster is tricky with three players on max contracts, including the suspended Paul George. His absence means the Sixers could use immediate help at the wing or in the frontcourt.
The Bucks are currently in 12th place in the Eastern Conference, 10 games below .500 and completely out of the playoff picture. Hopes for a second-half turnaround seem fleeting under Doc Rivers, who’s barely been a .500 coach (84-82) in his two-and-a-half seasons with the Bucks.
“I want to be here, but I want to be here to win, not fighting for my life to make the playoffs,” Antetokounmpo said.
James Harden and Tyrese Maxey, when they were Sixers teammates in 2023.
SAN FRANCISCO – Tyrese Maxey did not need to join the speculation about James Harden being traded from the Los Angeles Clippers to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Maxey could just call his former teammate.
“I talked to him [Monday] a bit about it,” Maxey said following the 76ers’ win at the Golden State Warriors Tuesday night. “Hey, look, if he’s happy, I’m happy. That’s all that matters.”
When Harden missed his second consecutive game for personal reasons on Monday against the Sixers, reports of a deal percolating between the Clippers and Cavaliers surfaced during the matchup. The trade, which also sends Darius Garland to Los Angeles, became official Tuesday as part of a flurry of moves about 48 hours before the deadline. It was a stunning turn of events, given the Clippers are in the midst of a massive turnaround and Harden was playing at a borderline All-Star level, averaging 25.4 points, 8.1 assists, and 4.8 rebounds in 44 games.
But the Sixers and Maxey are plenty familiar with Harden forcing his way off a team. It is how he wound up leaving Philly for the Clippers as part of a blockbuster trade early in the 2023-24 season, after the Sixers would not offer him a long-term extension in the summer of 2023. The Sixers acquired Harden at the 2022 trade deadline in a massive deal that sent Ben Simmons to the Brooklyn Nets.
Still, Maxey and Harden remain close. On the court, Maxey called Harden “somebody who elevates the people that he played with,” and expects him to provide the same to a Cavaliers team that entered Wednesday a half-game up on the Sixers for fifth place in a crowded middle of the Eastern Conference standings.
“He does James Harden stuff,” Maxey said. “He’s a dynamic player with playoff experience. Knows how to play the game. Knows how to get guys involved. Take some pressure off of D. Mitch [Donovan Mitchell], for sure, and get those other guys – [Evan] Mobley, [Jarrett] Allen, [Jaylon] Tyson – easy shots.”
Sixers light on trade assets beyond Maxey and Edgecombe
Tyrese Maxey with teammate VJ Edgecombe.
Aside from Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe, the Sixers don’t have the assets needed to acquire the type of player who could drastically improve the team via a trade. And the Sixers aren’t going to trade either player.
Joel Embiid is once again playing at an elite level, averaging 29.3 points over the last 15 games. However, he has an extensive injury history and a three-year, $193 million contract extension that kicks in next season. While he looks great at the moment, there is a lot of uncertainty concerning how he’ll hold up in the future.
Meanwhile, Paul George has a tough contract to move after signing a four-year, $211.5 million deal in July 2024. At this stage of his career, he’s recognized as a fourth option on a championship team. Yet George is being paid as a top-two player. As a result, it’s hard to justify taking on his salary at this time.
And since the Sixers aren’t going to trade Maxey or Edgecombe, they shouldn’t forfeit their future by surrendering draft picks to facilitate a trade. They’ll need those picks to acquire young talent and continue building around Maxey and Edgecombe after Embiid and George leave Philly.
What’s the Sixers top priority: upgrading the roster or saving money?
Daryl Morey, the Sixers President of basketball operations, with head coach Nick Nurse in 2024.
Last Week, Joel Embiid expressed his desire to avoid the Sixers’ annual salary dump at the trade deadline to avoid paying the luxury tax.
“So hopefully we keep the same team,” Embiid said on Thursday. “I love all of the guys that are here. I think we’ve got a shot.
“I don’t know what [the front office is] going to do. But I hope that we get a chance to go out there and compete because we’ve got a good group of guys in this locker room, and the vibes are great.”
The team is just $1.2 million over the luxury tax threshold, thanks to a $5.8 million tax variance credit because of George’s unpaid suspension, during which he will lose $11.7 million.
Before George’s suspension, the Sixers were $7 million over the tax threshold and were expected to trade away at least one expiring contract. While the Sixers are still expected to make some type of move, they can keep all three of the players — Quentin Grimes ($8.7 million salary), Kelly Oubre Jr. ($8.3 million), and Andre Drummond ($5 million) — who had expiring contracts that could have helped them duck the tax.
Will Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo end up on another team by the trade deadline?
It’s unclear if the Milwaukee Bucks will trade away Giannis Antetokounmpo, but there are at least four teams seriously interested in landing the two-time MVP, according to multiple reports – Golden State Warriors, Minnesota Timberwolves, Miami Heat and New York Knicks
The question is whether those offers are large enough for a team to land the “Greek Freak.” According to The Athletic’s Sam Amick, they’re not, meaning “this saga looked likely to extend into the summertime.”
In one proposed trade by ESPN’s NBA insiders, the Bucks would send Antetokounmpo to Philadelphia for Paul George, VJ Edgecombe, and two unprotected first-round picks. Fun, but it appears unlikely the Sixers are willing to part with their rookie phenom.
Three former Sixers players part of deals ahead of NBA trade deadline
James Harden is heading to Cleveland in a swap for point guard Darius Garland.
James Harden to the Cavaliers (per ESPN): The one-time Sixers star/disappointment is on the move again, this time heading to Cleveland in a swap for two-time All-Star Darius Garland. Cleveland is also reportedly sending a second-round pick to the Clippers for Harden, who will join Donovan Mitchell on the court with the goal of advancing past the second round of the playoffs.
Nikola Vucevic to the Celtics (per AP): Boston gets frontcourt depth in exchange for guard Anfernee Simons. The two teams are also reportedly swapping second-round picks. Vucevic, whom the Sixers took in the first round of the 2011 NBA draft, spent the past five and a half seasons with the Bulls.
Kevin Huerter headed to Detroit (per ESPN): The Pistons added some depth in a four-player, three-team deal that will also send former Sixers fan favorite Dario Saric (“The Homie”) to Detroit. The Pistons will also reportedly get a 2026 first-round protected draft pick swap from the Minnesota Timberwolves, whose main motivation is to create salary space. The third team in the deal, the Chicago Bulls, get Mike Conley Jr. and Jaden Ivey.
Boston Celtics post player Chris Boucher is a player the Sixers are reported to have some “exploratory” interest in, according to a HoopsHype report.
A source downplayed the interest in the reserve power forward/center, who has appeared in only nine games this season with the Boston Celtics, averaging just 2.3 points and 2.0 rebounds in 10.4 minutes.
However, he flourished in the last seven seasons as a reserve glue guy for the Toronto Raptors. Sixers coach Nick Nurse was Raptors coach during Boucher’s first five seasons in Toronto. Nurse was able to get the best out of the undersized post player, who averaged 8.9 points and 5.1 rebounds in 406 games as a Raptor.
Boucher signed a one-year, veteran minimum contract with Boston for $3.2 million, with a cap hit of $2.2 million.
Sixers guard VJ Edgecombe is averaging 15.1 points and 4.2 assists in his rookie season.
This shouldn’t need to be said, but the Sixers aren’t going to trade VJ Edgecombe for Giannis Antetokounmpo. Nor should they. Which also shouldn’t need to be said.
Just in case, let’s say it again.
No Edgecombe for Giannis. No Edgecombe for anyone. No Edgecombe at the trade deadline. No Edgecombe in the offseason.
No Edgecombe, know peace.
To be clear, this isn’t about Giannis, who’s in the midst of the most efficient season of his career, by virtually every measure.
This is purely about Edgecombe. To understand his immense present and future value, you have to watch him on the court. It’s incredibly rare for a 20-year-old rookie to average 35.6 minutes per night for a team that is six games over .500 and has a legitimate chance to make a playoff run. It’s even rarer for said rookie to do it with the maturity and grace that Edgecombe exhibits at both ends of the court. And it’s rarer still for a rookie to possess that veteran-level basketball IQ while also possessing such an electric athletic upside.
Sources have said the Sixers are open to trading veteran center Andre Drummond.
Kelly Oubre Jr. ($8.4 million salary): Before Paul George’s 25 game suspension, Oubre’s was viewed as the Sixers’ most tradable contract — especially if the front office was instructed to get under the luxury tax. Now he is vital to the current roster as a tenacious wing defender and offensive player who can slash to the basket — and he has upped his three-point percentage.
Quentin Grimes ($8.7 million): This comes with a massive asterisk because Grimes has the power to veto any trade after signing a one-year qualifying offer in October. Additionally, any trade approved by Grimes would relinquish his’ “Bird” rights, which allow teams to offer their own players a higher salary in free agency. So unless the new destination appears to be an ideal long-term fit, it is unlikely Grimes would sign off on any trade-deadline move and instead enter unrestricted free agency this summer.
Andre Drummond ($5 million): What once looked like a resurgent Drummond season has turned into an odd role for the 14-year veteran. He starts whenever Joel Embiid sits out for injury or load-management reasons, and does not play at all when Embiid is in the lineup. That theoretically makes Drummond expendable — and perhaps the most likely (fringe) rotation player to depart at the deadline.
Eric Gordon ($3.6 million): Gordon, on the tail end of a successful career, has played in only six games in his second season as a Sixer. Trading the 37-year-old in a salary-dump move would open up an additional roster spot that could be used to sign Dominick Barlow or Jabari Walker to a standard NBA contract. One wrinkle: Gordon is close with rookie standout VJ Edgecombe, who played with Gordon on the Bahamian national team.
Kyle Lowry ($3.6 million): Lowry is in his 20th NBA season. Like Gordon, he is on a veteran minimum contract. It feels less likely that the Sixers would let go of the Philly native and former Villanova star, given his primarily off-the-court role as a respected leader in the locker room and on the bench.
Expect the deep cold Philadelphia has been experiencing to continue for the next six weeks, at least according to Punxsutawney Phil.
The weather-predicting groundhog saw his shadow Monday outside his hole at Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney. If you believe such things, that means the entire country — including our snow-covered section of the Northeast — can expect below-average temperatures for the next six weeks.
That won’t come as a surprise to folks in Philadelphia, where the temperature hasn’t made it past the freezing mark of 32 degrees for more than a week.
Despite the frigid temperatures in Punxsutawney, thousands of Phil’s biggest fans gathered early in the morning for what remains the weirdest celebration of meteorology and marmots.
What do forecasters say?
It’s been so cold, Emily Street and much of Philadelphia remains covered in snow.
Predicting the arrival of spring beyond the vernal equinox on March 20 is tricky business, especially when trying to apply it to a regionally diverse country as large as the United States.
As of Sunday, NOAA was predicting below-average temperatures in February along most of the East Coast all the way west to the Mississippi River. But that’s counterbalanced by above-average temperatures predicted along the West Coast inland as far as Texas.
NOAA’s weather outlook for February, forecasting colder-than-normal temperatures across much of the East Coast.
As for the Philadelphia region, temperatures are expected to remain near or below freezing for at least the next week, with another cold snap possible for the weekend.
The temperature reached above freezing at Philadelphia International Airport on Monday, ending a frigid nine-day streak dating to Jan. 23, the longest since 2004.
If you need to get out, the warmest day of the week is expected to be Tuesday, with highs forecast to reach the mid-30s.
“Outside of that, our high temperatures through the week are looking to be below freezing,” said Amanda Lee, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s Mount Holly office, where it dipped to minus-1 degree Sunday morning.
For sake of comparison, the normal high temperature in Philadelphia in the beginning of February is 42 degrees. So we have a ways to go before anything approaching spring reaches the city.
How accurate has Punxsutawney Phil been over the years?
Jim Means holds up Punxsutawney Phil at daybreak on Groundhog Day in 1980.
Were you actually expecting a four-legged creature to accurately predict the weather?
In short, no, I wouldn’t peg my plans over the next six weeks on Phil’s prediction. According to a 2025 analysis by NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Phil’s forecast has been accurate only 35% of time, based on data of more than a century.
Last year, when Phil predicted six more weeks of winter, temperatures in Philadelphia were 1.8 degrees above normal for the six weeks following Phil’s forecast, with a high of 48 degrees and a balmy low of 30. Nationally, the contiguous U.S. saw near-average temperatures in February and much-above-average temperatures in March 2025, according to NOAA.
“Phil’s forecast was incorrect,” NOAA said bluntly.
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A dead groundhog in Lancaster has been more accurate than Phil
Richard Rankin, Governor of the Groundhog Lodge, poses for a photo with Octoraro Orphie in 2012.
Why brave frigid temperatures in the early morning hours to wait on Phil when you can just pull a stuffed groundhog out of the closet?
That’s what the folks in Lancaster do. Every Groundhog Day since 1907, handlers at the Hibernating Governor of the Slumbering Groundhog Lodge in Quarryville fetch the remains of Octoraro Orphie — often sporting a top hat and bow tie — to offer some weather divination.
They do get outside, celebrating with a parade that ends at the so-called Pinnacle of Prognostication (their tongue-in-cheek description of a manure spreader), where Orphie’s forecast is delivered to the faithful.
What’s wild is the stuffed groundhog is surprisingly accurate, nailing its prediction more than 52% of the time, according to a NOAA analysis done last year.
Orphie did not see his shadow Monday, predicting an early spring. We’ll see which groundhog ends up being right.
Lancaster is a hotbed for groundhog activity, sporting several weather-predicting furballs, including Mount Joy Minnie (who did not see her shadow), M.T. Parker (who did), and a pair of actual living groundhogs in Elliott and Lilly at Acorn Acres who were set to offer their predictions Monday evening.
Staten Island Chuck, seen here at the Staten Island Zoo in 2025.
But none of Pennsylvania’s native groundhogs have been as accurate over the years as Staten Island Chuck. Since his first forecast in 1981, Chuck (formally Charles G. Hogg) has accurately predicted an early spring or six more weeks of winter an astounding 85% of the time, according to NOAA’s analysis.
On Monday, Chuck agreed with Phil, predicting six more weeks of winter, which seems like a safe call.
Chuck has been able to remain accurate despite dealing with much more harrowing conditions than his Pennsylvania counterpart. In 2009, Chuck bit then-Mayor Michael Bloomberg and was secretly replaced by granddaughter Charlotte for the 2014 ceremony. Unfortunately, then-Mayor Bill de Blasio dropped Charlotte, and the groundhog died several days later.
How did this whole marmot-predicting-the-weather thing start?
According to the Pennsylvania Tourism Office, Romans took the early Christian holiday Candlemas to Germany, where it was said that if there was enough sun on Candlemas Day for a badger to cast a shadow, there would be six more weeks of bad weather.
German immigrants brought this tradition to Pennsylvania, and in 1886 the editor of Punxsutawney’s newspaper teamed up with a group of groundhog hunters to begin the legend of Punxsutawney Phil’s weather prowess. So in the United States and Canada, we celebrate Groundhog Day on the same date Christians across the globe celebrate Candlemas.
Good luck trying to stream Groundhog Day today
Bill Murray in a scene from “Groundhog Day.”
You’re not wrong if you remember seeing Groundhog Day on Netflix the other day. It’s just not there now.
The beloved 1993 comedy, staring Bill Murray and directed by the late Harold Ramis, left Netflix as of Sunday. Other than renting the film through a host of streaming platforms, the only other place to stream Groundhog Day on Groundhog Day is AMC+, a subscription service few have that’ll set you back $9.99 a month (though it does have a seven-day free trial).
If you still have a cable subscription, Groundhog Day is airing all day on AMC beginning at 8:30 a.m. Philly time, so set your DVR.
Are there any other Groundhog Day movies?
If you’re looking for another good time loop flick, check out 1998’s “Run Lola Run.”
Listen, we all love Groundhog Day, but to some watching it each and every year is starting to feel a bit like the movie’s repetitive plot.
There are plenty of Christmas, Halloween, and even Valentine’s Day movies for us to choose from. Aren’t there any other films that take place on Groundhog Day?
Sadly, no. About the best you’ll get are a few animated short films, such as the early Disney flick Winter (featuring Walt Disney’s uncredited voice as a raccoon) and 1947’s One Meat Brawl from Warner Bros. And that’s only if you can find them.
Now, if you’re looking for a movie swiping Groundhog Day’s premise — someone living the same day over and over again — there are a few options, from Tom Cruise in Edge of Tomorrow to the sci-fi comedy Palm Springs, staring Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti.
There’s also 1998’s Run Lola Run, a German thriller where Franka Potente’s protagonist gets three chances to re-run the same 20 minutes to save the life of her boyfriend.
After Philly’s biggest snow in 10 years, a very big chill is coming
A person (okay with photograph but no name given), shovels on Flora Street in Brewerytown on Monday, Jan. 26, 2026 in Philadelphia. In Philadelphia, 9.3 inches of snow fell, the most in a decade.
For the Philly region Monday it wasn’t so much a matter of digging out from the heftiest snowfall in a decade, it was more like a chipping, shaving, scraping, expletive-inducing, and ice-chunk hurling operation.
Public transportation appeared to be getting back on track, and major roads were open for business with speed reductions removed, thanks to crews working through the weekend.
But expect some side streets in the city and elsewhere to remain fit for sleigh rides this week and trash pickup to be delayed. City offices will be shut down again Tuesday, as will Philly school buildings, with Camden and more calling for a snow day or opting for remote learning.
And if you’re stepping outside, get used to that underfoot crunching sensation. The removal operation isn’t going to get much help this week from the atmosphere. It’s about to turn about as frigid as it ever gets around here. New Jersey officials are warning of “historic” demands on energy.
“We’re going to be in the freezer all week,” said Mike Gorse, meteorologist at the National Weather Service Office in Mount Holly. Philly may have its first zero-degree reading in 32 years later in the week.
It’s as if after recent wimpy winters, the Arctic is reacquainting with Philly and much of the rest of the East.
And did we mention another snow threat for the weekend?
“There’s a chance,” said Marc Chenard, meteorologist with NOAA’s Weather Prediction Center in iced-over College Park, Md., who was among those who had to chuck some frozen boulders before leaving for work Monday morning. “I had to chip it and carry it in pieces,” he said. Sound familiar?
New Jersey and Philly officials expect increased energy demands amid cold
The snow may have stopped falling but officials in Philadelphia and New Jersey say the concerns over the extreme weather and impact on energy grids in the region remain.
The thousands who lost power during the snow storm in New Jersey had it restored by Monday, according to New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill.
She said the relative brevity of outages was due to utilities having workers at the ready “to make sure that if you lost power, they restored it as quickly as possible, knowing how cold it was going to get.”
Still, Sherrill said the state and utilities were preparing for “historic demand” expected Tuesday as a result of the expected temperature drop, which will continue throughout the rest of the week.
Sherrill said her administration has been in touch with PJM Interconnection, the state’s grid operator, to prepare for the surge in demand.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Energy has issued emergency ordersthat will allow PJM and other grid operators across the country to allow additional resources to stay online and help meet energy demands.
Like New Jersey, the Philadelphia region was also spared major outages Sunday.
But Office of Emergency Management Director Dominick Mireles asked the public to prepare for the potential overload of the energy grid and heating grid as the temperature could feel as though it were in the negatives with the wind chill.
Mireles suggested sealing drafts in homes, lowering the thermostat, even if by a few degrees, and switching to more energy efficient items. Something like doing laundry in non-peak hours could help relieve some of the strain on the grid, he said.
“To prepare in the event that you do lose power, you can do things like try to keep your devices charged and use flashlights instead of candles,” he said.
Philadelphia digs out from storm while planning for frigid temperatures
As Philadelphia continues to dig its way out of the weekend winter storm that dropped more than 9 inches of snow on the city, officials are turning an eye to the frigid forecast that is expected to stick around until next week.
“If you don’t have to go outside, do not. If you do not have to drive, please don’t,” Mayor Cherelle L. Park said at news conference Monday.
Parker’s warning came amid the city’s continued snow emergency that is to remain in effect until further notice. Streets Department workers are continuing snow-removal efforts, and had melted about 900 tons of snow with a snow melting machine over the past 10 hours, Parker said. But there was no timeline for the cleanup’s completion, and it could be complicated by the cold weather, Carlton Williams, director of the Office of Clean and Green Initiatives.
“We’re about to hit a deep freeze., and so whatever we don’t get could possibly freeze, and it makes it that much more difficult for us to plow frozen material,” Williams said.
Officials asked Philadelphia residents to help with cleanup efforts by, among other things, not shoveling snow from their sidewalks into the street. Parker also reminded motorists to not park their cars on snow emergency routes, and noted that roughly 350 vehicles had been towed from those routes on Sunday alone.
“This slows down our response, and it delays us from being able to clear this emergency,” Parker said. She added that residents who believe their car was towed from a snow emergency route can call 215-686-SNOW for further information.
Dominick Mireles, director of Philadelphia’s Office of Emergency Management, said the city was making preparations for the cold weather to come. The city, he said, expects high demands on its energy and heating infrastructure during the cold snap, and anticipates that the frigid temperatures could have impacts on the city’s water mains.
The Philadelphia Water Department, meanwhile, remains in an “enhanced operational posture” due to the prolonged cold, commissioner Benjamin Jewell said. He asked that if residents see a water leak or experience a service interruption, they can contact the department at 215-685-3600.
The city will also continue to run its warming centers, with daytime service at select libraries, and nighttime service at select recreation centers, said Crystal Yates Gale, deputy managing director for Health and Human Services. The warming centers will operate until the freezing conditions end, she added.
“Humans are not meant to be outside in those conditions,” she said.
Philadelphia school buildings won’t be open Tuesday as road conditions remain rough in many places after the weekend’s significant winter storm.
After Mayor Cherelle L. Parker told residents city offices and courts would be closed Tuesday, Superintendent Tony B. Watlington Sr. affirmed the call for schools “out of an abundance of caution.”
The district sent students’ Chromebooks home with them Friday, allowing for a possible day of virtual learning Tuesday. Though Monday is a true day off, Watlington warned that if the snow required any further changes, he would pivot to virtual instruction.
City offices and courts will remain closed Tuesday as Philadelphia continues to recover from the weekend storm, Mayor Cherelle L. Parker said at a Monday news conference.
“Despite the tireless work involved in our intergovernmental response, we are not out of the woods, Philadelphia,” Parker said.
The closures are part of a continuing snow emergency declared in the city late Saturday. That snow emergency has not yet been lifted, and will continue until further notice, Parker said.
Watch: Mayor Parker offers updates on snow aftermath
// Timestamp 01/26/26 1:56pm
Camden schools to be closed Tuesday
Camden City School District schools and offices would be closed Tuesday, citing “unsafe conditions on streets and sidewalks” following Sunday’s storm.
“This additional closure will allow our Facilities Department more time to fully clear sidewalks and school grounds and ensure safe access to our buildings,” the district said in a statement.
PennDot has ‘plenty of salt on hand’ as road cleanup continues
SEPTA 27 bus along Ridge Avenue heading to Wissahickon Station Monday.
Gov. Josh Shapiro lauded the efforts of PennDot workers during the weekend’s storm at a Monday news conference, noting the department was “busy all across the commonwealth” due to the inclement weather hitting essentially all of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties.
“Everybody felt an impact,” Shapiro said. The widespread nature of the storm, he added, was an unusual element, with snow totals surpassing 12 inches in some areas of the state.
PennDot secretary Mike Carroll said the department’s response to the storm was a team win, aided by agencies including the Pennsylvania State Police and Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency.
“Folks across the spectrum did their part to help us really successfully deal with what is a very large winter storm these days,” Carroll said. “We’ve had a tremendous response to this storm.”
Prior to the storm’s arrival Sunday, PennDot issued vehicle restrictions for state roads that limited travel, and officials asked travelers to refrain from driving unless absolutely necessary. Shapiro said Monday that it appeared drivers had heeded those warnings, and asked that Pennsylvanians continue to stay home to allow cleanup to continue.
“Being off the road, being home today, is going to continue to allow PennDot to go out and clean up the last remaining roads and make sure that any of these spots that are wet won’t freeze up,” Shapiro said.
PennDot officials previously said that the department’s District 6, which encompasses the Philadelphia area, had roughly 70,000 tons of salt on hand to deal with the storm’s impacts. Bucks County, where Shapiro and Carroll spoke, started with roughly 14,000 of salt, and were down to an estimated 9,000 tons, though exact figures were not immediately available.
An additional 15,000 tons of salt were due to arrive in Bucks County this week, and officials said they anticipated no supply shortages.
“The department has plenty of salt on hand,” said PennDot assistant district executive for maintenance Tom Rogal. “We will not have any issues receiving and maintaining salt.”
Cheltenham and Upper Darby schools will be virtual Tuesday
The Cheltenham and Upper Darby school districtswill have virtual instruction Tuesday, as officials said road conditions were still too poor following the storm.
“After consulting with my team, many roads remain unpassable and are likely to refreeze after dusk, making bussing on Tuesday too risky,” CheltenhamSuperintendent Brian Scriven told families in a message Monday afternoon.
In Upper Darby, Superintendent Dan McGarry told families Monday afternoon that “unfortunately, we are going to need another day to continue to remove snow and ice.”
Many other Philadelphia-area districts have yet to announce Tuesday plans. The Philadelphia School District is expected to make an announcement at 3 p.m.
Scriven said Cheltenham administrators were “hopeful schools will return to normal operations as soon as possible,” and would communicate any additional schedule changes before Wednesday.
An inflatable Elmo ball rolls along a sidewalk Sunday.
Will Philadelphia schools be in session Tuesday, or give students and staff another day to dig out of the significant snowfall dumped on the region this weekend?
The district sent students’ Chromebooks home with them Friday, allowing for a possible day of virtual learning Tuesday. Though Monday is a true day off, Watlington said if the snow causes any further changes, he would pivot to virtual instruction.
At least one district has already announced plans for Tuesday. Haddon Heights, in South Jersey, will have a two-hour delay. Upper Darby school officials said they will call Tuesday plans “as soon as we are able to assess district facilities.”
Philly has a shot at breaking its 32-year zero-less streak
Yerome Rillera and his 9-year-old son, Kersey, sled down the steps of the Philadelphia Art Museum in Philadelphia Monday.
It was up to 27 degrees at noon at Philadelphia International Airport on Monday, but it looks like it’s not going to make it to 30, and this is going to be the warmest of the next several days.
In fact, temperatures may have trouble getting out of the teens until the weekend, and Philly has a shot at reaching zero for the first time in 30 years later in the week.
The forecast lows will be in the single digits all week, and down to 1 above on Friday, the National Weather Service says.
Mike Gorse, meteorologist in the Mount Holly office, said the stubborn snow cover “absolutely” would increase the chances of the airport reaching zero for the first time since January 1994.
Snow is ideal for daytime heating (such as it is) to soar into space after sunset. Clear skies and light winds would further enhance the cooling.
State of emergency in N.J. ends, all major highways cleared
New Jersey achieved “black top” on all state highways and interstates Monday morning as crews continued to treat highways, according to New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill.
The New Jersey Turnpike, Garden State Parkway, and Atlantic City Expressway had also been cleared and will continue to be treated through the evening. Speed restrictions have been lifted.
But while the roads were no longer piled high with snow, Sherrill urged common sense for those who have to drive.
“These are wet roads, and the temperatures are below freezing, so be careful on bridges, on off and on-ramps,” she said.
So far, 85 bus lines connecting New York and Philadelphia are operational and most of the train lines should come online by the afternoon, though on a weekend schedule.
Sherrill said a state of emergency, which allowed New Jersey to access additional plows, salt, and other necessary equipment, ended at noon.
Speed limit restored on all major roadways across Philly region
Cars enter and leave Philadelphia on the Benjamin Franklin Bridge Sunday.
All speed and vehicle restrictions have been lifted on all interstates and major highways across the Philadelphia region, PennDot announced Monday.
Speed restrictions on U.S. 30 and U.S. 202 in Chester County were lifted at noon, while restrictions on interstates and other major state highways were removed earlier in the morning.
PennDot said it would continue to treat roadways until all travel lanes and shoulders are clear.
Connor Phan shovels out his car in the East Falls section Philadelphia Monday.
Anyone who has been out shoveling Monday can attest to the fact that not all snowfalls are created equal when it comes to getting their remains out of the way.
This one was especially challenging because it was chock full of ice chunks, the result of the harvest of sleet that feel after Sunday’s snow ended. Moving it required varying degrees of chipping, shaving, and boulder-hurling. Another challenge in this instance was the weight of it all.
Officially, 9.3 inches of snow was measured at Philadelphia International Airport, but given how much liquid was in the snowpack, the weight likely would have been similar to a snowfall of 12 to 15 inches of well-fluffed snow.
The snow-and-sleet melt at the airport came to about 1.1 inches. An inch of water over a square foot weighs an estimated 5.2 pounds.
On a 200-square-foot driveway — a 10 by 20 — what fell Sunday weighed about 1,144 pounds. On a 100-square-foot sidewalk — 5 by 20 — that would be 572 pounds.
In this case, given all the ice, it probably felt like more.
Trash trucks with plows clear Midvale Avenue near Ridge Avenue on Monday.
You can (likely) take your trash cans in if you’re expecting pick up Monday, as a slate of municipalities in Chester County are delaying trash and recycling collection services after the area was blanketed in snow this weekend.
Here’s a look at the delays municipalities have advertised online:
Avondale: Trash pick up moved to Tuesday.
Caln: Shifted by one day through the week, beginning Tuesday for Monday customers.
Kennett Square: Trash pick up moved to Wednesday.
East Brandywine: Trash pick up moved to Wednesday.
East Bradford: Trash pick up moved to Saturday.
East Caln: Trash pick up canceled this week.
East Fallowfield: Trash pick up moved to Saturday.
East Goshen: Shifted by one day through the week, beginning Tuesday for Monday customers.
Easttown: Trash pick up moved to Tuesday.
Elverson: Trash pick up moved to Wednesday.
Sadsbury: Shifted by one day through the week
Spring City: Trash and recycling delayed until Tuesday and Wednesday.
Upper Uwchlan: Trash and recycling for Monday will be delayed until at least Tuesday, but the township may have further updates.
Uwchlan: Trash pick up moved to Wednesday.
West Chester: Shifted by one day through the week.
West Goshen: No collection Monday; the township will provide updates on collection for Tuesday.
West Whiteland: Trash pick up moved to Wednesday.
Westtown: Shifted by one day through the week, beginning Tuesday for Monday customers and Friday for Thursday customers.
Three people die while shoveling snow in Lehigh County
In Lehigh County, about 60 miles northwest from Philly, at least three people died on Sunday attempting to clear snow, said the Lehigh County Coroner’s Office and Forensics Center in a statement Monday.
The National Weather Service recorded 11.8 inches of snow at the Lehigh Valley International Airport over the weekend.
The three who died ranged in age from 60 to 84, according to the statement. All were shoveling snow or using another method to remove snow before experiencing a medical emergency.
The coroner’s office isn’t disclosing more information about the people who died out of respect for the families, Coroner Daniel Buglio said in the statement.
Miguel Estevez with Independent Construction clears the steps in the East Falls section of Philadelphia Monday. Connor Phan gets a start digging his car out. Residents begin to dig out on Calumet Street near Ridge Avenue Monday.
// Timestamp 01/26/26 8:28am
More cancellations at PHL
Crews deice a Delta plane as snow falls at Philadelphia International Airport Sunday.
At least 134 flights have been canceled going into or out of Philadelphia International Airport Monday, an improvement from the 641 flights canceled during Sunday’s storm.
The airport also reopened all its security checkpoints Monday morning, according to a spokesperson. American Airlines is asking its passengers to use A-West, B-C and F ticketing Monday. A-East is closed for American passengers only.
Across the country, more than 1,000 flights have been canceled Monday, according to Flight Aware, with airports near New York City and the Washington, D.C., experiencing the brunt of the delays.
Travelers are encouraged to check with their airlines for the latest flight information.
A trash truck with plow clearing Midvale Avenue in the East Falls section of Philadelphia Monday.
Trash and recycling collections are suspended in Philadelphia on Monday. Collections will be one day behind for the rest of the week.
Areas of the city that receive two trash collections per week, like Center City, South Philadelphia, and North Philadelphia, will only have one this week. Residents should expect collection delays as the crews navigate the snow and ice.
Residents who can’t wait until collection to hold their trash can drop them off at one of the city’s six sanitation convenience centers, open Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
SEPTA riders board the 47 bus at Eighth and Market Streets Sunday.
After shutdowns across the system Sunday, SEPTA said it planned to gradually restore service Monday.
Service on all Regional Rail, bus, Access, and Metro routes T and G remained suspended Monday morning.
When it is safe to do so, Regional Rail will operate on a Saturday schedule, while bus and Metro will operate on a Monday schedule.
PATCO trains are operating on a delayed snow schedule Monday, with service every 15 to 20 minutes.
NJ Transit service on all light rail systems resumed Monday morning. The agency planned to gradually ramp up bus and Access Link service throughout the day, as road conditions allow.
Pedestrians try to navigate Gay Street as snow falls in West Chester, Pa. Sunday.
It officially snowed 9.3 inches in Philadelphia, according to the National Weather Service.
The service said 9.1 inches of snow and sleet was topped with an additional 0.2 inches overnight. That’s officially the most snow to drop in Philadelphia since a January 2016 blizzard, which dropped 22.4 inches onto the city.
Allentown ended with 11.8 inches, while Trenton ended up with 8.9 inches.
Here are totals from across the region as of 8 p.m. Sunday, so they don’t include whatever was added by freezing rain overnight.
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Snow-covered cars line Cresson Street in the East Falls section of Philadelphia on Monday.
Across the Philadelphia region, the ground remains covered with a mixture of snow and sleet, all given a shiny finish with some overnight freezing rain.
The melt is going to take its good old time.
Temperatures Monday are expected to be in the upper 20s, with wind chills making it feel at times closer to 0 degrees.
Then, it’s going to turn colder.
Highs in Philly will struggle to reach 20 degrees Tuesday through Saturday, with overnight lows in the single digits.
“We’re going to have a rather glacial snowpack for the foreseeable future,” said Alex Staarmann, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Mount Holly.
The next several days should be dry, said Tom Kines, senior meteorologist with AccuWeather. Some talk is brewing about a storm threat late next weekend or early in the week, but that can wait for another day.
All things considered, a trauma-free snow day in Philly
David Friedman (center) pulls his sons Noah, 5, (left) and Zachary, 3, after they went sledding at the Society Hill Towers Sunday.
For the abject unpleasantness of the weather Sunday, the region for the most part appeared to be trauma-free.
That probably had something to do with the fact that it was indeed, Sunday,and that the storm may have set an unofficial record for a pre-event drumbeat.
Computers had been on to something big happening for about a week, at one point suggesting historic amounts of snow for Philly. The anticipation and anxiety evidently were major boons to local supermarkets — where carb shortages and human stampedes were reported — and hardware stores.
In the end, the storm did unfold pretty much as the late-week forecasts suggested, with a thump of heavy snow in the morning with several inches accumulating.
One not-so-mild surprise was the cold, with temperatures during the day Sunday several degrees below forecasts.
The cold had a benefit: It resulted in a dry, powdery snow, said Tom Kines, senior meteorologist with AccuWeather. That robbed the region of that postcard look as the moderate winds were able to shake it off the trees, but it also reduced the power-outage potential.
For those who have endured long power outages, it very likely was worth the aesthetic deprivation.
When the snow turned to sleet during the late morning, temperatures were still in the teens, and the ice balls accumulated on the snowpack, adding unwanted weight.
The ice also will add endurance to the snowpack, meteorologists said. Snowflakes can out-melt ice anyway. So forget the yard work for a while.
// RelatedLink Text: Top January storms URL: https://www.inquirer.com/weather/philadelphia-snow-top-10-january-snowfall-totals-snowstorms-history-20260124.html
Philly’s biggest snow in five years has an icy finish, and it isn’t going anywhere soon
George Lynch, 11, slides on his stomach down 2nd Street in the Society Hill neighborhood Sunday.
Hours of percussive sleet layered a nasty icing on Philadelphia’s biggest snowfall in five years Sunday, and it may be some time before bare ground resurfaces in the region, if not normality.
This was not the stuff of postcards.
Officially 7.4 inches of snow was measured at unusually quiet Philadelphia International Airport, with similar amounts reported in the neighboring counties, as temperatures didn’t get out of the teens during the day anywhere near Philly.
And shovelers beware: That mess may weight as much as 18 inches of pure snow. Besides, we may be out of practice. This was the most snow since the 81 inches of Feb. 2-3, 2021. Incidentally, that snowfall was the biggest in five years, in what has been a generally snow-deprived decade.
Forecasters say it is unlikely that the precipitation would flip back to snow, but some additional accumulation was possible, since sleet — liquid that freezes before it lands — counts as snow. In some places it was falling at the rate of 0.5 inches an hour, the National Weather Service said, an extraordinary rate for sleet.
Some freezing rain — liquid that freezes on contact with a surface — was possible Sunday evening, said Nick Guzzo, meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Mount Holly.
However, widespread power outages were unlikely, a function of the unusual behavior of a potent but peculiar storm that wrought a familiar set of disruptions and inconveniences.
A pedestrian walks under the Benjamin Franklin Bridge Sunday.
A far-reaching winter storm blanketed the Mid-Atlantic in an icy brew of snow and sleet Sunday, with preliminary totals nearing a foot in parts of New Jersey.
Philadelphia ranked near the top end of regional totals. A survey of five regional National Weather Service offices showed PHL’s total ranked 103rd of 565 reports made in the last six hours.
The Philadelphia metropolitan region generally received between four and nine inches of snow by early Sunday afternoon, according to National Weather Service reports.
Among the highest totals:
Pottstown – 9.5 inches
Norristown – 8.7 inches
Stowe – 8.5 inches
Lower Pottsgrove – 8.5 inches
New Hanover – 8.5 inches
Use the map and chart below to find preliminary snow totals in your area. Hover over dots on the map to reveal more information, or search for Philadelphia-area totals below.
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Russ Walters skies along Race Street in the Old City neighborhood Sunday. Pedestrians walk in the middle of a plowed but empty Haddon Avenue in downtown Collingswood. Mike Doveton and his daughters. Maya, 10, and Jaydan (hidden), 6, board a PATCO train with their sleds heading out to snow. A pedestrian uses their umbrella as snow falls on Race Street.
// Timestamp 01/25/26 1:41pm
Philly officially has its biggest snow in five years
Julie Cohen makes a snow angel on the snow covered lawn at Independence Mall Sunday.
At 1 p.m., 7.4 inches of snow was measured at Philadelphia International Airport, the biggest snow in five years.
It also pushed the seasonal total to 13.8 inches, also the highest since the winter of 2020-21.
Given how cold it was during the snowfall, the regional totals didn’t show their usual wide variations, and were mostly in the 6- to 8-inch range. It’s possible that another inch could be added to the totals with the slow-accumulating sleet and a possible flip-back to light snow before the precipitation ends.
Some freezing rain also is possible late in the day or evening Sunday.
Two pedestrian brave the weather in Washington Square Park Sunday.
Temperatures at the surface remain in the teens, but sleet has routed the snow throughout the region.
Before the changeover, weather service spotters reported as much as 7 inches of snow. By convention, spotters measure snow before changeovers, since sleet and rain compress the snowpack.
Sleet, which is liquid that freezes on the way to the surface, counts as snowfall, but it accumulates ponderously. A tenth of an inch of liquid will yield about an inch of snow, but it would take three times that to produce an inch of sleet.
The changeover is the result of a layer of warm air in the upper atmosphere imported from the ocean by the onshore winds of a potent coastal storm.
The sleet is due continue this afternoon, and freezing rain also remains a possibility before it all ends late tonight or early Monday, said Nick Guzzo, meteorologist at the National Weather Service Office in Mount Holly.
Whereas sleet and freezing rain hold down accumulations, he notes that they slow down the melting process.
Ice cubes take longer to melt than snowflakes.
Be careful shoveling. The whole frozen mess may feel like it weighs as much as 18 inches of snow.
Mike Orazietti takes a break at Wawa from snowplowing in West Chester Sunday.
Five inches or more of snow have fallen in several locations in the Philly region, according to reports from National Weather Service trained spotters.
Here is the current list, which is likely to grow before sleet mixes in the next few hours:
Lehigh Valley International Airport cancels all flights Sunday
ABE is currently closed. Snow Ops continue as long as weather conditions allow for our team to work safely. We encourage travelers to check with their airline for flight delays or cancellations impacting Sunday / Monday's schedule. @69News@mcall@LVNewsdotcom@lehighvalleypic.twitter.com/MyTfQgElWI
Warming centers across Philadelphia will remain open during this storm as part of the ongoing Code Blue declaration, Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle L. Parker said a news conference Sunday.
24-hour warming centers are available for use, stocked with water, snacks, blankets, warming kits, and cots, said Crystal Yates-Galle, deputy managing director for health and human services.
Jonathan Ahmad (left) and Michael Thompson clear snow in Old City Sunday.
Carlton Williams, director of the office of clean and green initiatives, debunked a widespread piece of misinformation he said has been circulating online.
No, he said, the city is not handing out free salt, which it needs for roadways and events given the expected icy conditions.
“We must be smart about the work that we’re doing … because this is a matter of life and death if we don’t get this right,” Williams said at a news conference Sunday.
Williams said 4 to 7 inches of snow are expected to fall in the next couple hours, and it’s likely to freeze.
Meanwhile, in some parts of the city, accumulation will likely get to a point where snow must be removed from the neighborhood and deposited elsewhere.
The city has also invested in a snow melter “that delivers 135 tons an hour melting snow,” Williams said.
So far, that snow has fallen at a rate of two inches in two hours, said Dom Morales, director of the office of emergency management
Like other officials, he warned of treacherous conditions on the roads, noting that state’s 511PA website can provide details on road conditions.
“Whether you have four wheel drive, all wheel drive, the conditions are not favorable to being on the road right now,” Morales said.
He warned that sleet and freezing rain could create “invisible ice” and lead people to fall off their stoops even if they’ve shoveled earlier.
Morales encouraged people to keep their phones charged in case power goes out and check out the city’s website for details on how to respond to common scenarios including a downed tree, a water emergency, and a power outage.
“Philly we have a few more days ahead of us,” Morales said. “So please, let’s keep ready, and let’s take care of one another.”
Cherry Hill Mall, Christiana Mall close due to snow
Carmen Roman clears snow off her car at the Wawa on Haddonfield Road in Cherry Hill Sunday.
Both the Cherry Hill Mall and the Christiana Mall will be closed Sunday due to the snow.
In New Castle County, level 2 driving restrictions are in effect, meaning only essential personnel are permitted to drive.
In Philadelphia, Emilia, James Beard Award-winning chef Greg Vernick’s Italian restaurant in Kensington, has postponed its scheduled opening from Monday to Tuesday. Vernick told The Inquirer he was unsure if his fish supplier could deliver Monday.
Alex Peralta shovels a sidewalk on Gay Street in West Chester, Pa., Sunday.
Snow totals of 4 to 6 inches have been reported across the region as heavy snow continues.
Meanwhile, the sleet line continues to advance northward and had reached central Delaware by mid morning. The Washington, D.C., area flipped to sleet around 8:30 a.m., after about seven inches had accumulated.
Sleet is expected to join the party in the immediate Philly area by early afternoon, and that would put the brakes on further accumulations. Before that happens, it is possible that the city officially will have had its biggest snowfall in five years.
Parker warns Philly residents to stay home and off the roads
A pedestrian uses their umbrella as snow falls in the Old City neighborhood of Philadelphia Sunday.
Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle L. Parker asked people to stay home and off the roads if possible as the city grapples with a winter storm that has dumped about three inches so far — and is expected to turn to ice in the coming hours.
“This remains a significant winter storm, and there are rough travel conditions expected all day,” Parker said.
Parker said 1,000 city workers are clearing roads and sidewalks and battling snow with about 600 pieces of equipment, including triaxial dump trucks, loaders, sanitation compactors with plows attached, and pickup trucks.
“And this was a new one for me, Philadelphia, even ATVs have been deployed,” Parker noted.
Philadelphia remains under a snow emergency that began Saturday night at 9 p.m.. The city has no update on when it plans to lift the emergency.
The city has teams working in “an enhanced emergency posture” to address the needs of people affected by the bitter cold. The city has implemented 250 additional beds for those in need, Parker said. If residents see anyone in need of immediate help, they can call 215-232-1984.
SEPTA to suspend bus, regional rail service at 2 p.m.
A SEPTA Regional rail train heading through the East Falls section of Philadelphia Sunday.
SEPTA will suspend all bus and Regional Rail service at 2 p.m. Sunday, the agency announced.
As for trolley service, the T1 is suspended, the T3 is cutting back at 59th/Chester, and the T4 is cutting back at Island/Woodland, SEPTA said. The T2 and T5 are currently running regular service.
The Market-Frankford and Broad Street subway lines will continue to run. through the storm, the agency said. Crews have been assigned to keep station entrances, platforms, and sidewalks clean of ice and snow, as best they can.
A pedestrian walks across Race Street along 2nd Street in the Old City neighborhood of Philadelphia. Michael Thompson (right) and Jonathan Ahmad clear snow. Carmen Roman clears snow off her car after dropping her partner off at work at the Costco In Cherry Hill early Sunday morning.
// Timestamp 01/25/26 9:27am
$5 parking in Center City garages to avoid getting your car towed
A Philadelphia Parking Authority truck tows a car from South Broad Street, a snow emergency route, earlier this month.
As the snow covers everything in its path, parking on designated snow emergency routes is the fastest way to get your car towed.
To prevent this, the Philadelphia Parking authority is offering $5 parking for 24 hours in Center City garages until the snow emergency is lifted.
Philadelphia Family Court Garage (1503-11 Arch Street – Going south on 15th Street, enter the garage on the west side just after 15th & Cherry Streets)
Meters and time limit violations won’t be enforced until the emergency ends. But if you suspect your car was towed, call 215-686-SNOWor visit www.philapark.org/tow to locate it. A license plate number is needed.
PennDOT and Philadelphia Department of Streets are working hard plowing to keep highways and roads passable. Please avoid unnecessary travel so they have room to safely work. If traveling, use caution and give yourself at least 6 car lengths behind snow response equipment. pic.twitter.com/yATOdEnJqV
2 to 3 inches of snow have already fallen across the Philadelphia region.
Not that the bar was especially high, but officially Philly has had its biggest snowfall of the month, with 1.6 inches measured officially at the mostly dormant Philadelphia International Airport.
That tops the 1.1-inch report of last weekend. It also brings the seasonal total to 8, and one of the safer bets is that this winter will end up being snowier than the winter of 2024-25 – 8.1 inches.
By 8:30 a.m., amounts of 2.5 to 3 inches were common throughout the region.
The next official report from PHL is due at 1 p.m. For now, it is playing catch-up with the 1.8-inch reading at Rittenhouse Square.
Heavy snow arrives, with ice to follow. It all may stick around for a week or more.
Dog walkers and fresh snow along Cresson Street in the East Falls section of Philadelphia.
It may not approach their magnitudes, but Sunday’s snow-and-ice cold brew is expected to bear eerie similarities to some of Philly’s historic winter storms and perhaps rival them for disruption.
By 7 a.m., up to 3 inches had been reported around the region, with heaviest amounts to the south where the snow started earlier.
Officially, at Philadelphia International Airport, 1.6 inches had been measured, already making this the city’s biggest official total of the month. But Center City trumped it at 1.8.
From 8 to 10 inches was expected around the city before the snow mixes with sleet and possibly freezing rain during the afternoon, said Nick Guzzo, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service Office in Mount Holly. All that is subject to change, of course.
The precipitation is due to shut off early Monday, but by then it may be a case of welcome to ice station Philly.
Nothing that falls is going to melt, as temperatures will get no higher than the 20s Sunday and may not see 30 for the rest of the week
Snow falls in Manayunk. Several inches of snow have already fallen in Bear, Del. Snow covers the trees in Conshohocken, Montgomery County.
// Timestamp 01/25/26 8:11am
Cancellations piling up at PHL
Crews deice a Delta plane as snow falls at Philadelphia International Airport Sunday, Jan 25, 2026.
At least 641 flights have been canceled going into or out of Philadelphia International Airport Sunday, as a major snowstorm moves across the Northeast.
Due to the reduced number of flights, TSA agents will only be operating at checkpoints A-East, D/E, and F.
Travels are encouraged to check with their airlines for the latest flight information.
The National Weather Service is forecasting 8.5 inches of snow will fall in Philadelphia, followed by sleet and freezing rain.
On Saturday, the National Weather Service was going with 8 to 10 inches for the immediate Philly area, said meteorologist Amanda Lee, with less to the southeast. AccuWeather Inc. was calling for 6 to 10 inches.
A lot of that would fall during a “front-end thump,” said AccuWeather meteorologist Elizabeth Glenny. Once the mixing begins, accumulation rates would back off.
While people understandably want to know how many inches of snow are going to land, that is almost always difficult to answer, meteorologists say, especially in a storm of this nature.
In this case, snow amounts are dependent on a coastal storm that had not yet formed Saturday and on what might happen in parts of the atmosphere that are not well-observed.
Temperatures in the bottom 5,500 feet of the atmosphere over Philly are expected to remain below freezing, said AccuWeather senior meteorologist Tom Kines, but computer models insist that a warm layer in the higher atmosphere would result in the changeover.
That warmth would be imported from the Atlantic Ocean by the strong onshore winds from the northeast generated by the storm — it’s not for nothing that these things are called nor’easters.
Another wild card would be if the snow is heavy enough that it could survive the warm layer and delay the changeover.
But the mixing of sleet, which is liquid that remains frozen in its trip through the atmosphere, and freezing rain, liquid that freezes on contact, is inevitable, forecasters said.
Freezing rain atop a snowpack is especially dangerous because it adds weight to vulnerable and snow-burdened power lines and tree branches. Sleet is polite enough to bounce off hard surfaces, but since it is pure ice, it is slower to melt.
Said the weather service’s Mike Lee, the mixing “just means we’re getting a different blend of horrors.”
Midvale Avenue is covered in fresh snow in the East Falls section of Philadelphia.
Snow is forecast to accumulate rapidly Sunday morning, with temperatures in the teens and snowfall rates of one to two inches per hour.
Models were suggesting sleet could mix in as soon as early afternoon, said Tom Kines, senior meteorologist with AccuWeather Inc.
Temperatures in the bottom 5,500 feet of the atmosphere are going to remain well below freezing. However, as the coastal storm intensifies, its onshore winds from the northeast are forecast to import warmer air from over the ocean into the upper atmosphere, which would change the snow to sleet and rain Sunday afternoon and evening.
It’s possible the precipitation will flip back to all snow and accumulate maybe another inch early Monday, Staarmann said. But at that point it would have all the impact of drizzle in the ocean. The mass of snow and ice evidently will be vacationing in Philly for a while.
“It will stick around for a week, maybe two weeks,” Staarmann said.
Vehicle restrictions on Pa. highways now in effect
PennDOT implemented vehicle restrictions on Pennsylvania highways due to the storm
Vehicle restrictions aimed at limiting the number of cars on roads statewide during Sunday’s snowstorm are not in effect across Pennsylvania.
PennDot’s vehicle restrictions are instituted in a tiered system, with today’s coming in at tier four — the second-highest level. Under that tier, commercial vehicles are totally prohibited from using a number of interstates around Pennsylvania, as well as the Pennsylvania Turnpike.
“The decision to implement these restrictions was made with the intention of balancing safety for everyone on the roadway, including commercial drivers,” PennDot secretary Mike Carroll told reporters Friday at a news conference. “We will remove these restrictions as soon as conditions warrant.”
In addition to limiting the travel of vehicles like tractor trailers and commercial buses, PennDot’s restrictions also apply to school buses, motorcycles, RVs, and passenger vehicles that are towing trailers, Carroll added. None of those vehicles, he said, are permitted to use roadways while the restrictions are in place.
Officials urged motorists to stay home, noting the anticipated snowfall rate of one to two inches per hour, as well as the overall snowfall totals, will make keeping roads safe and clear difficult.
Restrictions, PennDot notes online, are evaluated hourly. Pennsylvania’s traveler information website, 511PA, keeps an up to date map of which roads are impacted by the restrictions, and Carroll recommended travelers check that website before heading out, should they absolutely have to.
“Stay home and watch the NFL games, despite the fact that the Eagles and Steelers are not playing,” Carroll said.
But as large and disruptive as this storm will likely be, it will have a difficult time cracking the list of the top January snowstorms in Philly history.
It would take 12.3 inches of snow for this latest storm to make its way on to the list of the snowiest January storms in Philly history. That would match a 1922 event dubbed the “Knickerbocker storm” because snow caused the collapse of the Knickerbocker Theatre in Washington, D.C., killing 98 people, which remains the worst natural disaster in the city’s history.
Here’s the full list of the Philly snowfalls of a foot or more in January history:
But as large and disruptive as this storm will likely be, it will have a difficult time cracking the list of the top January snowstorms in Philly history.
This storm isn’t that, though thanks to a dangerous component of sleet and ice it will impact a large swath of the country, from West Texas to Maine.
It would take 12.3 inches of snow for this latest storm to make its way on to the list of the snowiest January storms in Philly history. That would match a 1922 event dubbed the “Knickerbocker storm” because snow caused the collapse of the Knickerbocker Theatre in Washington, D.C., killing 98 people, which remains the worst natural disaster in the city’s history.
Here’s the full list of the Philly snowfalls of a foot or more in January history:
30.7 inches: Jan. 7-8, 1996
22.4 inches: Jan. 22-23, 2016
16.7 inches: Jan. 22-23, 1935
15.1 inches: Jan. 26-27, 2011
13.5 inches: Jan. 21-22, 2014
13.2 inches: Jan. 19-20, 1961
13.2 inches: Jan. 19-20, 1978
12.6 inches: Jan. 22-23, 2005
12.3 inches: Jan. 28-29, 1922
Top 10 snowstorms in Philadelphia history
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A major snowstorm is expected to hit Philadelphia and the region this weekend. It could be the city’s first double-digit snowfall in 10 years, though the latest forecast has snow totals down slightly.
Heavy snow and potentially dangerous icing are expected in Philly this weekend
FILE – February 8, 2014 A crew from northern Illinois works to restore power at Broad Street and Warren Avenue in Malvern. February 8, 2014.
Philadelphia could experience more snow this weekend than it did during the the entire winter of 2024-25, but the forecast updates Friday suggested that may not be the worst of the storm’s offerings.
In issuing a profoundly predictable winter storm warning, in effect from 7 p.m. Saturday until 1 p.m. Monday, the National Weather Service said that in addition to 8 to 12 inches of snow, as much as a quarter-inch of freezing rain could accumulate. That would greatly increase the power outage potential.
Whatever the outcome, the storm still in its formative stage already has had significant impacts on the region and may have set an unofficial record for pre-storm buildup and preemptive closings.
Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle L. Parker declared a state of emergency for Sunday, as did Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill. PennDot is imposing speed restrictions. SEPTA is expecting issues.
Some schools already were planning for multiple-day closings, as the snow and ice will be accompanied by one of the region’s more impressive cold snaps of the last several years.
Were it not for the storm, in fact, the cold might be getting headlines.
Wind chills Saturday morning are expected to drop below zero. Sunday’s high of 25 degrees may make it the warmest day of the week.
It is likely that layers of snow and ice will harden into a frozen mass that the January sun won’t be able to do a whole lot about.
As a public service, for now we will hold off on mentioning another potential storm threat.
Gov. Josh Shapiro on Friday signed a disaster emergency declaration for Pennsylvania, freeing up resources for preparation and support efforts ahead of the coming weekend winter storm.
“Today, I signed a disaster declaration for the entire Commonwealth to ensure our agencies have all necessary resources ready to go,” Shapiro said in a statement. “Stay off the roads if you can, be safe, and follow instructions from PEMA and your local authorities.”
The declaration, Shapiro’s office said, more easily allows the state to use funding to give various state agencies the resources required to more effectively respond to the storm and county and municipality level. Much of the state is expected to experience significant snowfall as part of the storm, with forecasters calling for 8 to 12 inches of snow for the Philadelphia region, as well as ice totals of 0.25 inches.
In addition to announcing the disaster emergency declaration, Shapiro’s office urged Pennsylvanians to stay off the roads during the storm if possible.
Locally, Delaware County also declared a disaster emergency that will run for seven days starting Friday, county officials said. The storm, the county said in a statement, could cause “injury, damage, and suffering” to Delco residents, prompting the declaration.
“Please avoid unnecessary travel, particularly during the peak of the storm and ensure that you have enough essentials to last several days in case travel becomes difficult,” said Delaware County Council Chair Richard Womack.
New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill declares state of emergency
New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill has declared a state of emergency in the state ahead of the impending weekend winter storm, and issued statewide commercial vehicle restrictions on interstate highways.
“It’s been a while since we have seen a storm like this,” Sherrill said at a Friday news conference. “We’re tough, but we need to be prepared. We have to be safe.”
Sherrill, who was inaugurated earlier this week as New Jersey’s 57th governor, also urged residents to stay indoors throughout the duration of the storm, and refrain from traveling unless absolutely necessary. Potential road conditions for early Monday, she added, remained in flux, as the state could possibly “still be digging out” from the storm.
“Don’t commit to anything Monday morning,” Sherrill said.
Sherrill noted that while forecasts have been somewhat fluid, it appeared at the time of her briefing Friday that North Jersey was likely to see higher snow totals of 12 to 18 inches, while South Jersey could see 12 inches or less. The whole state, however, is expected to see impacts from snow and ice.
As part of Sherrill’s declaration, the State Emergency Operation Center will activate at 6 p.m. Saturday, officials said. Activating the center will allow state leaders to coordinate county and state responses to the storm, and monitor assistance requests around New Jersey.
“This is a good weekend to stay and watch some football, play a board game with your kids, but please stay off the roads on Sunday,” Sherrill said.
SEPTA expects service interruptions during storm Sunday: ‘Bad day to travel’
SEPTA officials gathered at their West Philadelphia depot Friday to unveil plans for this weekend’s winter storm, and demonstrate the machinery they have to battle the snow and ice.
Up to 70% of SEPTA’s workforce will be working Saturday and Sunday to clear travel lanes, keep trains and buses moving, and respond to emergencies. That said, SEPTA expects interruptions to its transit system as there is a lot of work ahead, said SEPTA General Manager Scott A. Sauer.
Crews will utilize large blowers, snow throwers, augers, and other pieces of heavy equipment to clear tracks and other critical areas, as well as 6,000 tons of salt to spread at stations and other facilities. SEPTA has 300 parking lots across their five-county service region as well as platforms and customer service areas.
“Extreme weather like this is very hard on our vehicles. As you know, we have the oldest rail fleet in the country. It’s hard on the trains as well as our tracks and other infrastructure,” Sauer said. “I fully expect we will see some equipment problems and need to make emergency repairs, but I am confident that our work crews are ready to handle any issues that come up.”
Blocked rail lines, power interruptions, residential cars blocking travel lanes, and more all contribute to service disruptions, Sauer said. SEPTA stresses that Sunday will be a “bad day to travel,” and to stay home unless it is absolutely necessary.
According to SEPTA, even if snowfall ends on Sunday, don’t expect the transit system to be back to normal by Monday morning.
Edge lights being cleared of snow on a runway at Philadelphia International Airport during a 2010 storm.
A “handful of flights” at Philadelphia International Airport had been cancelled as of Friday afternoon for Saturday and Sunday as the city expected a weekend snowstorm. More cancellations were likely ahead of the start of the storm, said airport spokesperson Heather Redfern via email.
“This is an all-hands-on-deck situation for the Department of Aviation’s team, and our operations team will be working throughout the weekend to ensure the safe operation of runways, taxiways, roadways and terminals,” she said.
In preparation for the storm, the department’s crews are getting equipment ready to keep runways, taxiways, airport roadways, and sidewalks clear, she said. Deicing airplanes is handled by the airlines.
The airport does not close, she noted, even if flights are canceled by airlines or in the event that the Federation Aviation Administration issues a ground stop.
Travelers who have flights booked for the coming days through the airport should check in with their airlines, the airport advises, to see if their flight has been canceled or if they can reschedule it.
“PHL’s top priority is ensuring the safety of the traveling public and our staff as we work to ensure ongoing operations,” said Redfern.
PennDot says it’s equipped to handle ‘bear’ of a storm
Local PennDot officials said the department’s Philadelphia-area operations are well positioned to deal with the impending winter storm’s impacts, but urged residents to avoid being out and about if possible.
“This storm should be treated by travelers as a potentially serious weather event, and we hope everyone will make the accommodations to avoid travel if possible during this winter storm,” deputy communications director Brad Rudolph at a Friday news conference.
The department has already activated its anti-icing efforts, sending crews out to spray a salt brine mixture on expressways and major roadways to limit or prevent ice accumulation, officials said. In addition, it has access to about 425 trucks for snow clearing work, and has amassed about 70,000 tons of salt for its regional stockpile, Rudolph said.
Though salt is plentiful, officials noted, it is likely to be less effective than usual during this storm because of the low temperatures that are anticipated. Salt is more effective at preventing or melting ice when temperatures are above 20 degrees, and that level of warmth is likely to be in short supply during the storm and in the days after.
“One pound of salt will melt about 46 pounds of ice and snow at 30 degrees,” said PennDot senior district executive for maintenance Tom Rogal. “At 10, 15 degrees, it’s about one pound [of salt] to five pounds [of ice and snow]. So, you can only imagine how much more salt we would have to use.”
Plowing operations are slated to begin once snow begins to fall, and roadways are to be treated throughout the storm until the precipitation moves out and roads are cleared. PennDot, Rogal added, has also brought in additional resources to deal with the storm’s impacts, including more machines used for clearing snow and ice.
Despite the potentially serious impacts of the storm, Rogal said he remained confident PennDot was prepared.
“It’s a bear, but we’re equipped for it,” he said. “We can handle the situation. We’ve done this. Our operators are well-trained, and they take their job very seriously.”
Delaware doesn’t want people sledding down sand dunes
Delaware’s beaches are expecting up to 6 inches of snow.
Delaware beaches may not face as much snow as points north this weekend, but the National Weather Service still expects up to 6 inches of snow, and “very cold, windy conditions” will lash the working, vacation, and retirement communities — and the extensive sand dunes that bracket the area at Cape Henlopen and Delaware Seashore state parks.
But if that’s the kind of weather warning that gets your winter-sports hopes up, think again. “Do Not Sled or Snowboard on Dunes,” which “contain fragile wildlife habitat and provide protection for the beaches” and nearby neighborhoods, warns the state Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control. Indeed, even walking across the shore dunes is prohibited at those parks, except at marked trails and crossings.
In the warning post, Delaware pointed sledders to a list of alternate sites where downhill runs are encouraged. Unfortunately for beach residents and visitors, almost all the officially approved sledding hills in this low-lying state are nearly two hours north, rimming the Brandywine and other streams that flow south from Pennsylvania. At least in the Diamond State, beach snow sports aren’t a thing.
Winter storm warning up, snow totals down slightly
As of Friday afternoon, forecasters expect Philadelphia to receive over 10 inches of snow between Sunday and Monday.
The National Weather Service has added the entire region to a winter-storm warning that now covers about half the country.
While the agency has trimmed back the snow amounts for Philly, it has added more ice, said Nick Guzzo, meteorologist in the Mount Holly office.
The weather service now is calling for 8 to 12 inches of snow for Philadelphia, but has increased ice totals to 0.25 inches as more freezing now is expected.
As of Friday afternoon, ice accumulations around three tenths of an inch are expected in and around Philadelphia, an increase compared to previous forecasts.
Sleet, which counts toward snow totals, and freezing rain are to do mix in Sunday afternoon after several inches of snow have accumulated.
The snow is expected to start in the early-morning hours, and precipitation could flip back to snow early Monday.
The winter storm warning goes into effect at 7 p.m. Saturday and continues through Monday morning.
Whatever falls is likely to stay around for awhile as the coldest weather of the season, perhaps in the last several years, settles over the region.
Philadelphia’s court system will be largely closed Monday due to the impending winter storm, meaning all scheduled trials and other hearings will be rescheduled for other dates.
Emergency services will remain open, the courts said on social media, including arraignment court. And people will still be ale to file emergency protection from abuse petitions at the Stout Center for Criminal Justice.
Vehicle restrictions on Pa. highways will be in effect Sunday
PennDOT is implementing vehicle restrictions beginning midnight Sunday
Starting at midnight on Sunday, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation will implement vehicle restrictions aimed at limiting the number of cars on roads statewide during the coming winter storm.
PennDot’s vehicle restrictions are instituted in a tiered system, with Sunday’s coming in at tier four — the second-highest level. Under that tier, commercial vehicles are totally prohibited from using a number of interstates around Pennsylvania, as well as the Pennsylvania Turnpike.
“The decision to implement these restrictions was made with the intention of balancing safety for everyone on the roadway, including commercial drivers,” said PennDot secretary Mike Carroll. “We will remove these restrictions as soon as conditions warrant.”
In addition to limiting the travel of vehicles like tractor trailers and commercial buses, PennDot’s restrictions also apply to school buses, motorcycles, RVs, and passenger vehicles that are towing trailers, Carroll added. None of those vehicles, he said, are permitted to use roadways while the restrictions are in place.
“These restrictions aren’t about the quality of the driver,” said Pennsylvania Turnpike CEO Mark Compton. “These restrictions are about the amount of time it takes for us to clear an incident on one of these roadways. We ask that you please adhere to these restrictions.”
Officials urged motorists to stay home amid the coming storm, noting that the anticipated snowfall rate of one to two inches per hour, as well as the overall snowfall totals, will make keeping roads safe and clear difficult.
Restrictions, PennDot notes online, are evaluated hourly. Pennsylvania’s traveler information website, 511PA, keeps an up to date map of which roads are impacted by the restrictions, and Carroll recommended travelers check that website before heading out, should they absolutely have to.
“Stay home and watch the NFL games, despite the fact that the Eagles and Steelers are not playing,” Carroll said.
Schedule change for two Philly basketball games due to snowstorm
St. Joe’s men’s basketball moved Saturday’s 6 p.m. game against Dayton to 2 p.m. due to the Philly region expecting a major snowstorm this weekend.
With heavy snowfall expected this weekend, two Big 5 basketball programs are moving their tipoff times.
The St. Joseph’s men’s team was slated to take on Davidson at 6 p.m. on Saturday at Hagan Arena. Now, the Hawks will be starting at 2 p.m. to avoid interference with potential snowfall on Saturday night.
Meanwhile, Drexel women moved its Sunday matchup against Towson at the Daskalakis Athletic Center to Saturday at 6 p.m., which will now be a homecoming doubleheader with the men’s team, which face Northeastern at 2 p.m.
The women’s team will play back-to-back days, as the Dragons host Stony Brook on Friday night (6 p.m.).
Archdiocesan schools will use a flexible instruction day Monday
All archdiocesan schools in Philadelphia, and all Archdiocese of Philadelphia high schools, including those in suburban counties, will use a flexible instruction day Monday.
Archdiocesan elementary schools in the suburbs typically follow the snow closing decisions of their local school districts, but officials urged parents and students to check with their local school administration for information about Monday.
A pine tree branch leans against power lines on Sout New Street in West Chester on Feb. 5, 2014. An overnight freezing rain storm swept through the region leaving downed trees and power lines in its wake.
Neither sleet nor freezing rain are particularly pleasant forms of precipitation, but in terms of their impacts, they can be very different.
Sleet forms when a partially melted snowflake or rain drop freezes on the way to the ground.. Freezing rain is rain that doesn’t turn to ice until it lands on a surface and freezes on contact.
During a winter storm, both hold down accumulations. Typically, an inch of liquid precipitation can yield a foot of snow. A similar amount of liquid would yield about 4 inches of sleet. Freezing rain, of course, is measured as pure liquid. A quarter-inch is enough to trigger a winter-storm warning.
Both can fall when surface temperatures are well below freezing, if the upper air is warm enough.
Sleet has an endearing quality for the power companies and their customers: It bounces, rather than glooming on to wires.
Freezing rain is a menace to wires and adds weight to snow on tree branches.
In 2014, freezing rain that began 18 hours after a heavy snowfall resulted in Peco’s biggest winter outage total on record, affecting more than 700,000 customers.
In a battle between sleet and freezing rain, you probably should root against the latter.
Assuming that a 100% chance of snow, and everything else, from the winter menu assures that something actually will happen, this would mark the third consecutive weekend with notable precipitation in the region.
Nearly an inch of rain was measured in Philly on Jan. 10, and last Saturday and Sunday several inches of snow accumulated in areas away from the city heat island in separate snow events.
It’s not like the atmosphere particularly cares about our weekend plans.
It is not uncommon for snow and rain to show up on the same days of the week over periods of several weeks.
That’s the result of the typical spacing between weather systems as they move across the country, meteorologists say.
Sometimes, that keeps happening in 3- to 3½-day intervals — until it doesn’t.
But not to get too far ahead of ourselves, another threat may be brewing for next weekend.
SEPTA buses, trolleys and trains will also be impacted by the snowstorm.
Philadelphians can expect SEPTA service disruptions as a result of the storm.
“Significant accumulations of snow and ice are likely to create unsafe conditions, both on the roads and the rails, and we’ll be making adjustments,” said SEPTA General Manager Scott Sauer.
“Customers should expect impacts to bus, trolley, and regional rail service.”
Sauer said SEPTA lines will operate for as long as it’s safe to do so and it will try to announce any service shutdowns two hours in advance when possible.
For essential workers who are required to commute Sunday, Sauer said the Broad Street Line and Market Frankford Line are the most reliable. Those lines are easier to keep open because large chunks of the rail are underground and the elevated tracks can be kept clear with frequent service, he said.
While inconvenient, suspending service before the height of the storm will ensure no one is stranded and no equipment is damaged, said Sauer.
Sauer warned it may take a few days to get service back to normal and reminded people to avoid travel unless absolutely necessary during the height of the storm.
Philly residents can be fined for not shoveling snow
Philadelphia Zoo workers shovel snow on the sidewalks earlier this month.
More than 1000 workers are helping treat the streets and roads of Philadelphia, said Director of the Office of Clean and Green Carlton Williams.
Williams said workers are scheduled to work around the clock with 600 pieces of equipment and 30,000 tons of salt at the ready to make roads passable.
But he reiterated that residents bear some responsibility as well, reminding people that tickets will be issued for untreated sidewalks. They’ll have six hours to shovel after the storm and failing to do so could lead up to a $300 fine.
“We expect our residents to be out there, because, again, this is a safety issue,” said Williams. “If that becomes frozen or we can’t get access to someone because sidewalks aren’t shoveled that’s a problem for our emergency responders.”
City warming centers to remain open during snowstorm
Crystal Yates-Galle, Deputy Managing Director for Health and Human Services, said the city’s warming centers will continue to remain open during this storm as part of the ongoing Code Blue declaration, which allows the city to also add shelter beds to the system.
Warming centers are located at select libraries during the daytime from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
From 9 p.m. to 9 a.m., select recreation centers will act as warming centers.
The need is already proving to be great. The city reached capacity at four of its five warming centers Thursday, Yates-Gale said, but plans to open more as needed.
Shelter beds are also at capacity, though the city plans to add another 150 beds throughout the system within the next two weeks.
Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin J. Bethel said his department would be working with outreach workers to connect homeless people to city services during the snow emergency.
Monday will be a full snow day, but if schools need to remain closed Tuesday and beyond, students have Chromebooks and will turn to remote learning until it’s safe to return.
“We’re inviting students and staff to enjoy this snowfall, which will be the most I’ve seen during my nearly four years here in Philadelphia,” Watlington said.
‘Your cars will be towed’: City officials warn residents about snow parking
A Philadelphia Parking Authority truck tows a car from South Broad Street, a snow emergency route.
Regardless of how much snow Philly gets, the roads are a major concern for city officials.
Illegal parking, especially on narrow residential streets, is a focus for officials.
The city has been treating roads since Wednesday, according to Carlton Williams, director of the Office of Clean and Green.
But in order for plow operations to flow smoothly, Williams said residents would need to avoid parking in front of fire hydrants and blocking corners.
“Do not park on designated snow emergency routes,” said Williams.
“Your cars will be towed, snow emergency routes are necessary for our emergency responders to get to a location as quickly as possible and park cars impede that process.”
To help clear those emergency routes, the Philadelphia Parking Authority will institute $5 flat rate parking beginning at 7 p.m. on Saturday at any of its lots.
Philly trash and recycling collection suspended Monday, delayed rest of the week
Heavy snow will impact trash collection services in Philly.
Trash and recycling collection will be suspended across Philadelphia Monday, the city announced in a news conference Friday.
Collection days for the rest of the week will be pushed back a day, and residents are asked to hold their trash and recycling until the next day.
“There will be no two-day-a-week trash collection in those neighborhoods who receive that service.” said Carlton Williams, director of the Office of Clean and Green Initiatives.
Due to the amount of snow forecast, Williams asked residents with driveway collection to bring trash out to the street or use the drop off center, due to plowing issues.
Parker declares snow emergency in Philly beginning Saturday night
A plow truck drives along Reservoir Drive in Fairmount Park in February 2025.
With more than a foot of snow possible this weekend, Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle L. Parker announced a snow emergency would go into effect Saturday at 9 p.m.
“We hope you will help us by keeping our roadways as free as possible of any vehicles that don’t necessarily need to be parked there,” Parker said at a news conference Friday, warning roads would be “hazardous” Sunday.
“Please take this storm seriously,” Parker said. “Limit unnecessary travel once conditions worsen, and if you must be out, give yourself extra time, drive slowly and stay off the roads if conditions become hazardous, so our crews and first responders can do their jobs safely.”
Crews have already begin brining city streets, and while the focus will be on the city’s major roadways, Parker pledged to also get to residential streets as soon as possible.
“We will make every effort to get to every primary, secondary and tertiary street in the city of Philadelphia,” Parker said. “That is our standard.”
Forecasters expect about 13 inches of snow to accumulate in and around Philadelphia through Monday.
Love it or hate it, more snow than Philly has seen in a long time is all but certain this weekend.
Forecasters continue to predict as much as 18 inches of snow could fall in and around Philadelphia beginning Saturday night, which would mark the city’s first double-digit snowfall in a decade, almost to the day.
The situation is so serious, former NBC10 meteorologist Glenn “Hurricane” Schwartz has come out of retirement and is doing forecasts on TikTok.
“It’s going to be a historic storm,” Schwartz predicted Thursday night.
At this point, the only thing that might keep down the snow totals is a wintry mix of sleet and freezing rain, which could fall during peak portions of the storm Sunday. Even so, precipitation is expected to shift fully back to all snow by Sunday night, with an additional inch or two likely before the storm moves through.
When it’s all said and done, forecasters predict about 13 inches of snow will have fallen in Philadelphia.
Officially, a winter storm watch is in effect for the region beginning 7 p.m. Saturday through 1 p.m. Monday. With temperatures expected to plummet Friday night (along with wind chills between -10° and 0°), a cold weather advisory is also in effect through Saturday morning.
Philly-area schools prepare for closures that could last multiple days
Cheltenham School District warned parents buildings could be closed multiple days if “conditions are significant enough.”
Ahead of the impending snowstorm, some Philadelphia area school districts are sharing plans for closures — maybe for multiple days.
In Upper Darby, school officials told families Thursday night to prepare for the prospect of virtual instruction Monday, and possibly Tuesday.
“If the weather is more significant than anticipated and there are power outages in the area, we will shift to a snow day,” with no virtual school, Superintendent Daniel McGarry said in the message.
In the Cheltenham School District, Superintendent Brian Scriven told families that “if weather conditions require us to close schools and offices,” the district will have a traditional snow day Monday. Tuesday is to be determined – and Wednesday could be virtual instruction, “If conditions are significant enough,” Scriven said.
Maps: How much snow and sleet could fall across the Philly region
Snow near Poplar Drive and Girard Avenue in Philadelphia earlier this month.
Official National Weather Service forecasts say 12 to 18 inches of snow is possible across most of New Jersey and Pennsylvania, including Philadelphia as the storm pushes through the region Saturday night to early Monday morning. More than 21 states were expected to experience at least moderate impacts from the storm, the weather service said.
The National Weather Service puts out forecasts for every few square miles of land in the United States four times a day through a system called the National Digital Forecast Database.
The map below displays that data. Use it to find how much snow is expected anywhere in the eastern United States. It will always show the most recent forecast for the next three days.
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The timing and duration of precipitation aren’t among the strong suits of computer models.
The weather service’s winter storm watch, which covers the entire region, all of Delaware, and most of Pennsylvania and New Jersey, is in effect from 7 p.m. Saturday until 1 p.m. Monday.
The daytime Saturday “looks fine if you have to get out,” said Tom Kines, senior meteorologist with AccuWeather Inc.
The weather service is listing the likeliest starting time as the early morning hours of Sunday, with snow likely into the early morning hours of Monday.
Sunday is going to be one of the colder days of the winter with temperatures in the teens and lower 20s. The weather service introduces the possibility of freezing rain and sleet by 1 p.m., with a forecast temperature of 19 degrees.
Wintry mix could limit snow totals. It’s a real Philadelphia tradition.
Sleet and freezing rain could mix with snow in Philly this weekend.
One thing arguing against mega-snow totals this weekend along I-95 and South Jersey is the likelihood sleet and freezing rain would mix with the snow at the height of the storm’s impacts.
That’s part of the cost of doing business in Philly winters.
Our biggest snows typically come from coastal nor’easters, so-named for their onshore winds the import warm air off the Atlantic to the upper atmosphere, the sources of precipitation. Sea-surface temperatures off Atlantic City are in the upper 30s.
The warmth above changes the snow to rain that freezes on contact when it reaches a cold surface, a sidewalk, or street, or windshield. Or precipitation becomes sleet, liquid that becomes a ball of ice before it reaches the surface.
Storms that are purely snow are the exception in the Philly area, says Ray Kruzdlo, the hydrologist at the National Weather Service Office in Mount Holly.
One of American history’s most famous wintry mixes accompanied the Continental Army’s surprise invasion of the Hessians in Trenton in 1776 during the American Revolution. After crossing the Delaware on Christmas night, diary accounts tell of Gen. George Washington led his troops through a nasty wintry mix.
Conversely, Thomas Jefferson, 150 miles from the ocean in western Virginia, measured more than 20 inches of snow.
One of the more notable busts occurred in January 2015 when forecasts called for an I-95 East Coast snowstorm so ferocious that the mayor of New York imposed a curfew.
His boss at the time, weather service head Louis Uccellini, said no apology was necessary: Science has its limits. Busts have been known to happen in the battle of science against nonlinear.
This time around, meteorologists are all but certain something “impactful” is going to happen.
Ray Kruzdlo, the staff hydrologist in the weather service office, said the slim chance of this storm “not being significant is leaving us.”
In total, 159 buildings would be modernized, while six schools would co-located inside existing buildings
The plan will be presented to the school board Feb. 26, with a board vote expected sometime this winter.
// Timestamp 01/22/26 6:23pm
Philly could close 20 schools, co-locate 6, and modernize 159: Superintendent Watlington shares his facilities plan
****Embargoed until 5pm on Thursday January 22, 2026 ***Superintendent of the School District of Philadelphia Tony B. Watlington at a press conference to announce the plan for the first draft of the Philadelphia facilities master plan during a press conference at the Philadelphia School District Headquarters, in Philadelphia January 20, 2026.
Wholesale changes are coming to the Philadelphia School District, with Superintendent Tony B. Watlington Sr. poised to propose a massive reshaping of the system, including closing 20 schools.
The plan, years in the making, would touch the majority of the district’s buildings and bring change to every part of the city: over a decade, 159 would be modernized, six co-located inside existing schoolbuildings, 12 closed for district use, and eight closed and given to the city.
At least one new building would be constructed.
The 20 closures, which would not begin to take effect until the 2027-28 school year, would be scattered through most of Philadelphia, with North and West Philadelphia hardest hit.
Watlington released some details of the blueprint Thursday — including the list of proposed school closures—and acknowledged that the changes will roil some communities.
Watlington is scheduled to present his proposal to the school board next month, with a board vote on the plan expected this winter.
Mayor Cherelle Parker defends district’s plan: ‘A clear-eyed look at really what matters for our children’
Mayor Cherelle L. Parker on Thursday praised the community engagement process Superintendent Tony B. Watlington Sr. conducted before issuing the facilities plan and defended the school district from critics.
“It is ambitious, it’s thorough, and it’s grounded in what I believe matters most, and that’s achieving the best outcomes for our students,” Parker told reporters. “I’m proud that the district has taken what I would describe as a clear-eyed look at really what matters for our children.”
Watlington’s outreach efforts, she said, stood in stark contrast to the district’s handling of the last round of school closures in the early 2010s, when Parker was a state representative.
“All this communication didn’t happen before, and I know because I was there,” Parker said. Criticism of the plan, she said, is to be expected.
“There are going to be some people who are going to politically try to use this as an anchor, for politics, to raise funding, to just point fingers and say what’s wrong and criticize the district’s leadership,” Parker said. “It’s a part of the process. … But there is no one who can question Dr. Watlington and his exec team.”
The Philadelphia school district’s facilities plan did not go over well in City Council
City Council President Kenyatta Johnson speaking at the City Council’s first session of the year in Philadelphia, Pa., on Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026.
City Councilmember Jamie Gauthier said the Philadelphia school district showed “just a complete lack of thought and consideration for really important programs” when crafting its long-anticipated facilities plan, released Thursday.
Council President Kenyatta Johnson said his members had “a lot of concerns.”
And City Councilmember Jeffery “Jay” Young Jr. went so far as to propose amending the city Home Rule Charter to allow Council to remove the school board members who will consider the proposed closures.
“If you are closing schools during a literacy crisis, then you should be held directly accountable to the people you serve,” Young said.
In many ways, it’s unsurprising Council members would speak out against a plan that would close or consolidate schools in their districts. But the pushback from lawmakers Thursday was notably strong, and Young’s proposal to allow Council to remove school board members could dramatically reshape the politics of the district.
Schools plan draws mixed reactions from state lawmakers representing Philly in Harrisburg
The School District of Philadelphia’s plan to close 20 schools through an overhaul of the system received mixed feelings from state lawmakers representing the city in Harrisburg, ranging from careful optimism to concern.
Lawmakers in Harrisburg are responsible for distributing billions of state dollars for public education, including any funding increases. These funds are critically important in Philadelphia, whose tax base alone only meets about a quarter of the needs of its students.
It’s unlikely that any school closures will impact the district’s annual funding from the state, but will likely be a part of conversation as budget talks resume next month for the upcoming fiscal year.
Rep. Andre Carroll, a Democrat who represents parts of Northwest Philadelphia, was driven to run for office by the 2013 closure of his alma mater Germantown High School, which closed during the district’s last round of shutdowns. Now, he has three schools in his district set to close, merge, or co-locate that he worries will negatively impact local students.
“I’m very scarred by that situation and that experience,” Carroll said. “I fear there’s young people in my district that are about to experience the same thing.”
The three schools slated for closure in Carroll’s district are: Building 21 (to be co-located at Martin Luther King High School and building given to the city), General Louis Wagner School (closing but building use is unknown) and Parkway Northwest High School (merging into MLK as an honors program and building used as district swing space).
Carroll said he’s particularly concerned about Wagner’s closure, as it’s the only public middle school in West Oak Lane.
He’s also concerned about the district giving the empty buildings to the city, making the city responsible with their upkeep until they are sold or repurposed. This is especially top of mind to him, he said, because he represents the area where 23-year-old Kada Scott’s body was found last year. Her remains were found on the grounds of the former Ada H.H. Lewis Middle School that’s been closed since 2008 that has over the years become a hotspot for illegal dumping, squatting and other criminal activity. More vacant school properties could attract more crime and community issues in his district, Carroll said.
And if the city sells off the empty properties, he wants to make sure they reach a different fate than that of his alma mater Germantown High, which is now luxury apartments.
“What I fear is that we’re going to continue to see these school buildings turned into unaffordable housing,” Carroll added.
For Rep. Mary Isaacson, a Democrat whose district includes Fishtown, has almost the opposite problem: Schools in her district are often overcrowded due to the area’s population and development boom. One school in her district — Penn Treaty High School currently for students grades 6-12 — will be closed and expanded to become the new site of Bodine High School.
“Right now, I’m taking it as a ‘wait and see,’” Isaacson said. “This has to go through the process with the school board. There probably will be changes. Putting forth the plan doesn’t mean it’s rubber-stamped.”
“I do credit the school district with trying to move forward, modernizing and addressing a lot of the facility issues as part of this plan that have plagued the city of Philadelphia and their aging infrastructure,” she added.
Isaacson said she hopes the district revisits its catchment areas created years earlier to account for her district’s development boom.
“My community schools are bursting in most places,” Isaacson said. “I look forward to having discussions about making room for growth, which may not be the same issues that some others are experiencing in other parts of the city.”
District’s announcement echoes closures from more than a decade ago, Stand Up for Philly Schools coalition member says
For Akira Drake Rodriguez, another member of the Stand Up for Philly Schools coalition, the district’s announcement echoed the highly controversial School Reform Commission closures more than a decade earlier.
“The way this process was presented was trying to not repeat the mistakes of the 2013 closures,” said Rodriguez, an assistant professor of city and regional planning at the University of Pennsylvania who was part of a district advisory group during its planning stages. Yet “the rollout was bumpy,” with some principals of affected schools informing their staffs, and others not, Rodriguez said. “It did not feel like it was done with the care and engagement they knew and were trying to address in this process.”
Rodriguez noted that Tilden Middle School in Southwest Philadelphia was now slated for closure, after absorbing the populations of the Shaw and Tilden middle schools shuttered by the SRC.
“That’s a school you would invest in,” she said. She questioned where students would go instead: “That whole neighborhood of Southwest Philly is charter schools. Do you really think they’re going to stay in traditional public schools when you close Tilden?”
She predicted enrollments at some schools marked for closure would plummet as parents face uncertainty around their futures.
“The district hasn’t really given people a ton of confidence around managing large-scale modernization efforts,” Rodriguez said.
Council President Kenyatta Johnson endorses proposal that would allow city lawmakers to remove school board members
Council President Kenyatta Johnson said Thursday that city lawmakers had “a lot of concerns” about the school district’s facilities plan and would do their “due diligence” to evaluate it.
“I’m sure it’s going to be a very, very robust process,” Johnson told reporters. “These are only recommendations. This isn’t the final product.”
Notably, Johnson immediately endorsed a new proposal by Councilmember Jeffery “Jay” Young Jr. that would allow Council to remove school board members, potentially reshaping the politics of the district. Currently, the mayor appoints the nine-member board, and Council votes to confirm them.
Young’s proposal, an amendment to the city Home Rule Charter, would require voter approval if Council adopted it. Johnson’s endorsement Thursday likely means it has a good choice of at least getting through Council.
“It’s a good check and balance in terms of the process, and also allows us to have the ability and the opportunity to make sure that anything that the school board does is done with transparency,” Johnson said. “I‘m always for, as members of City Council and this body in this institution, having the opportunity to provide accountability.”
‘You’re piling too many kids per classroom. What are the kids learning?’
Letitia Grant, 41, was frustrated to learn that her daughter’s Penn Treaty School was marked for closure in the district’s plan.
“That sucks. That can’t happen,” she said.
Her daughter is in eighth grade at the Fishtown school, and would have stayed at Penn Treaty through her high school graduation. Grant said her daughter loves her teachers and guidance counselor, and has many friends whom she’d miss.
Grant was worried that the district’s consolidation plan could mean larger class sizes and less individual attention for her daughter at a new school. As her daughter and a friend hung out on the sidewalk after dismissal, they stopped their biology teacher to chat. Grant said he was her daughter’s favorite.
“You’re piling too many kids per classroom. What are the kids learning?” she said.
// Timestamp 01/22/26 3:25pm
Councilmember Jamie Gauthier says district’s planning lacked ‘thought and consideration’ for important programs
City Councilmember Jamie Gauthier said the Philadelphia School District showed “just a complete lack of thought and consideration for really important programs” when crafting its long-anticipated facilities plan.
Gauthier said the plan would limit opportunities in her West Philadelphia-based 3rd District. She pointed to changes including Robeson High School and Parkway West ceasing to exist as standalone schools (Robeson would merge into Sayre and Parkway West into SLA Beeber) and The Workshop School co-locating with Overbrook High School.
“What are people supposed to do for good high school options in West Philadelphia?” Gauthier said .
Gauthier added that while Superintendent Tony B. Watlington Sr. has talked at length about avoiding the mistakes of the district’s widely criticized 2012 school closure plan, it appears doomed to repeat that history.
“That’s a great thing to hold up every time we have this conversation, but how are you solving for it?” Gauthier said. “You can’t state all of the things that went wrong and then present a plan that seems to lack care in the same way as the plan in 2012.”
Proposed school closures are ‘deeply troubling,’ Academy at Palumbo parent says
Edwin Mayorga, an Academy at Palumbo parent and member of the Stand Up For Philly Schools coalition, called the planned school closures “deeply troubling.”
“Closing schools straight off is never to me the right answer,” said Mayorga, an associate professor of educational studies at Swarthmore College who said SUPS is planning to rally outside district headquarters next Thursday to oppose the closures. “It’s about asking ourselves, what are the conditions that have produced a school that has declining enrollments, or toxic conditions in the facility, and trying to start from there?”
Mayorga said he was still concerned the district hadn’t adequately engaged with the community. While the district touted 8,000 responses from a citywide survey, Mayorga questioned how extensively it was promoted.
He also expressed skepticism of its findings: When his wife filled it out, Mayorga said, she was asked to choose between options she felt should all be priorities — like a neighborhood high school, and clean facilities.
“How much did that survey really tell us? They’re framing it as a mandate,” said Mayorga, who noted that the Palumbo HSA wasn’t given notice of the plan for a new middle school.
He also said the district’s plan seemed to “bury” the facilities needs of many of its aging buildings — citing Southwark Elementary’s troubles as just one example.
“With all the money involved here … we’re still struggling to ensure all the schools across the city are operating in well-supported ways,” he said.
Search tool: Check how your school could be impacted
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Newly introduced legislation seeks to allow City Council to remove members of the school board
One lawmaker on Thursday said he planned to oppose some of the closures proposed by the school district and brought legislation that would allow City Council to remove members of the school board.
Councilmember Jeffery “Jay” Young, Jr., a Democrat who represents the North Philadelphia-based fifth district, introduced legislation to amend the city’s Home Rule Charter to give council the authority to remove board members, which it is not currently empowered to do. To become law, Council would need to pass legislation and a majority of voters would have to approve it through a ballot question.
Young said it’s necessary to ensure accountability.
“If you are entrusted with $5 billion in public funds, if you are closing schools during a literacy crisis, then you should be held directly accountable to the people you serve,” Young said. “This moment really demands our leadership.”
He added: “Our children deserve stability. And above all, they deserve leaders who are willing to fight.”
The legislation is also no doubt in response to a 2024 episode involving school board member Joyce Wilkerson, whom Council tried to deny a seat on the board by withdrawing her nomination. But Mayor Cherelle L. Parker took advantage of a loophole in the law and asked Wilkerson to serve on the board indefinitely.
Alliance for Philadelphia Public Schools blasts district’s plan, vows to oppose closings
The Alliance for Philadelphia Public Schools — a group made up mostly of retired district staff who are frequently critical of the district — blasted the district’s plan and the process it used to get there, and vowed to oppose closings.
“Closing public schools that serve as community anchors has been and will again be devastating,” Lisa Haver, group coordinator and a co-founder, said in a statement. “Members of the school communities affected have been given very little time to organize and fight to save their schools before the board’s final vote.”
Watlington is scheduled to present his plan to the school board on Feb. 26, but a vote has not been set. District officials said it was expected sometime this winter.
Group members also questioned why the district “would give away valuable properties to the city, and why the city would not pay for buildings out of its $4.6 billion capital budget.”
Philadelphia Education Fund president is ‘feeling optimistic’ about schools plan
Farah Jimenez, president of the Philadelphia Education Fund, called the plan “incredibly ambitious,” presenting new opportunities for students. For instance: Centralizing many career and technical education offerings, which could help more kids access them, Jimenez said.
But Jimenez, who served on the former state-appointed School Reform Commission after it voted in 2013 to close more than 20 Philadelphia schools, also predicted challenges — including managing expectations.
“With a lot of change comes a lot of anxiety,” Jimenez said, noting schools’ role not just as places of education, but as community hubs.
The district also will have to think about “the brand around some of these community schools,” Jimenez said, and how to co-locate schools with “arguably some differences in culture and make sure people feel like that is a win-win for both student populations.”
The district is planning to give eight school buildings to the city, which Jimenez said reflected a lesson learned from the SRC. When the commission tried to put school buildings on the open market, “it didn’t end up being the win we expected,” she said.
While the SRC’s closure decisions were driven by financial constraints, “it feels like these changes are being made to improve experiences for students and educators,” Jimenez said. She said she was “feeling optimistic about it, because in Philadelphia we have a tendency to not do hard things.” If done well, the plan could be “incredibly exciting.”
Closure plan is ‘a loss for Philadelphia,’ principals union president says
Dr. Robin Cooper, president of CASA, the Philly principals’ union goes to her notes while the principals stream a Facebook live town hall meeting on April 7,2021. Teamsters International Rep. Michael Clark is on left.
Robin Cooper, president of the union that represents district principals, said the effects of Thursday’s announcement will be felt for years.
“It’s a loss of history, a loss for Philadelphia,” said Cooper. “Schools are a family, and some families are breaking up.”
Cooper said she understands the math — the district has a lot of old buildings, many of which are have decades of deferred maintenance. A state court affirmed that the district has been underfunded for generations.
“We know that change is inevitable, but this is difficult because we are talking about our schools,” Cooper said. “My members are in shock. And we’re figuring out how do we continue to provide a stable environment for our school staffs and our students and parents.”
Though no closings would happen until the 2027-28 school year, Watlington said, the announcement was likely to have a destabilizing effect immediately. Site selection — the process by which teachers and other school staffers can apply for new jobs in the district — opens soon, and though they won’t be forced to find new positions immediately, some employees will likely move to jump now, before they’re pushed.
Workshop School founder skeptical of Philly school closure plan
Simon Hauger said closing schools like Overbrook High will be “politically not easy.”
As the district released the school closure plan, Simon Hauger, founder of the Workshop School, was skeptical.
Given the school system’s billions of dollars in deferred maintenance, “the district does not have the talent and capacity to actually solve this problem,” Hauger said. “To me, that’s the part that’s most frustrating … This is not their expertise. The solutions they’re offering are not going to be good solutions.”
Under the plan, Workshop would move into the under-enrolled Overbrook High School in West Philadelphia — which “would be fine,” Hauger said. “There’s good stuff at that building.” But that only makes Overbrook, which Hauger estimated takes millions to run, “slightly more utilized,” he said. “It doesn’t make sense to me.”
The problem, Hauger said, is that closing a school like Overbrook High, which was not slated to shut, is “politically not easy.”
Philly City Council members express concerns about school closure plan
Councilmember Isaiah Thomas, seen here in April, said he would oppose the closure of Russell Conwell Middle School in Kensington.
City Council members were meeting Thursday morning during the first meeting of the year as news of the school district’s facilities plan became public. Several members, who were briefed on the plan earlier this week, said they understood the need to close and consolidate schools but have concerns about how individual closures could impact communities.
“I’m Philly-born and raised, so there’s always like an emotional attachment to schools,” said Councilmember Isaiah Thomas, a Democrat who chairs the Education Committee. “They are a pillar in a lot of neighborhoods. Whenever you step into a conversation like this, you are always going to be super emotional.”
For example, Thomas attended Russell Conwell Middle School in Kensington, which is slated for closure under the facilities plan. He said he will “adamantly” oppose the district shutting Conwell’s doors.
Thomas did praise the district’s process for drafting its plan and said Superintendent Tony Watlington engaged in an open dialogue with lawmakers.
The district, he said, acted with clear “intentionality.”
Councilmember Curtis Jones Jr., whose district includes parts of West and Northwest Philadelphia, said some of the changes are encouraging, including an expansion of career and technical education planned for some schools, including Overbrook High School. Increasing the student body at the school instead of electing to close it, Jones said, is “right on point.”
Jones also said some co-locations make sense — “like a great peanut butter and jelly mix” — but others could combine students who come from different neighborhoods and backgrounds. He said the district must consider what merging those populations means for classroom dynamics.
“The places where the kids come from, that is always a dynamic that is under considered,” Jones said. “If I live in this neighborhood and got to travel to that neighborhood, what are the historical dynamics? That granular detail needs to be discussed.”
Philly teachers union president blames ‘chronic underfunding’ for school closing plan
Philadelphia Federation of Teachers president Arthur Steinberg, seen here in September at Murrell Dobbins Career & Technical Education High School.
Arthur Steinberg, president of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, said he’s waiting to see more granular details of the plan, including the list of schools that will be upgraded and what fixes are promised, and hopes information about how much weight was given to every factor that went into the decisions.
But, Steinberg said, “it is devastating for any community to lose their school — the parents, the kids and the staff.”
As for the process that led the district to this moment, Steinberg said it was abundantly clear even to advisory panel members that their viewpoints were just points of information for Watlington’s administration, that no promises about heeding any advice were made.
Either way, the closure of 20 schools and more changes that will have ripples across the city for years to come all lead back to one factor, he said.
“Without the chronic underfunding of the district,” said Steinberg, “we wouldn’t have gotten to this point.”
A copy of the Philadelphia School District’s facilities master plan.
Outrage mounted for some Thursday morning as district officials began quietly notifying affected communities and groups.
“It’s heartbreaking,” said Sharee S. Himmons, a veteran paraprofessional at Fitler Academics Plus, a K-8 in Germantown. “It feels like a family member is dying.”
Himmons is enrolled in the district’s paraprofessional pathways program, taking college courses to earn her degree and teacher certification. She was sitting in her math class at La Salle University when she found out Fitler was slated for closure. She began crying. She failed a test she was taking because her concentration was shot, she said.
“This school is such a staple in the neighborhood,” she said. Fitler is a citywide admissions school, but draws many students from the area. Himmons’ own sons attended Fitler, and she wanted to teach there after her college graduation.
“This isn’t over,” she said. “We’re going to fight — hard.”
Philadelphia School District Superintendent Tony B. Watlington, seen here in September.
Wholesale changes are coming to the Philadelphia School District, with Superintendent Tony B. Watlington Sr. poised to propose a massive reshaping of the system, including closing 20 schools.
The plan, years in the making, would touch the majority of the district’s buildings: over a decade, 159 would be modernized, six co-located inside existing buildings, 12 closed for district use and eight closed and given to the city.
One new building would be constructed.
Change would come to every part of the city, but not until 2027-28. Closures would be scattered through most of Philadelphia, with North and West Philadelphia hardest hit.
Philadelphia, the nation’s eighth largest school system, now has 216 schools in 307 buildings, the oldest of which was built in 1889. It has 70,000 empty seats citywide, though some of its schools, especially those in the Northeast, are overcrowded.
Overbrook Elementary is among the schools that would close.
Here are the 20 schools that would close under Superintendent Tony B. Watlington Sr.’s revitalization plan:
Elementary schools
Blankenburg
Fitler
Ludlow
Overbrook
Pennypacker
Morris
Waring
Welsh
Middle schools
AMY Northwest
Conwell
Harding
Penn Treaty
Stetson
Tilden
Wagner
High schools
Lankenau
Motivation
Parkway Northwest
Parkway West
Robeson
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Some of those schools, like Lankenau and Robeson, would become programs inside other schools — Roxborough High for Lankenau, and Sayre for Robeson. Others would close outright, with students assigned elsewhere.
Students at the affected schools would move into schools with similar or better academic outcomes or building conditions, or schools that are better by both measures, Watlington said. Transition resources would be available for schools, students and families from closing schools and for schools that take in new students.
Watlington said he did not anticipate job losses as a result of the closures.
Frankford High School is an example of a Philly school that has been modernized.
Most schools — 159 — would be modernized under the proposed plan. (Frankford High, which closed for two years because of asbestos issues and just re-opened this fall with $30 million of work to spruce it up, is an example the district cited of a modernization.)
An additional 122 fall into the “maintain” category, meaning they’ll just receive regular upkeep.
Six facilities would be co-located, meaning they would be two separate schools housed under one roof, each with its own principal and team.
Twenty schools would be closed.
A lot of shuffling is planned. Penn Treaty, now a 6-12 school in Fishtown, would close in its current form, but the building would stay open, housing the current Bodine High School, a magnet in Northern Liberties. Bodine’s building would become the home of Constitution High, which now occupies a rented space in Center City.
🏈Ravens: Jesse Minter 🏈Giants: John Harbaugh 🏈Falcons: Kevin Stefanski 🏈Dolphins: Jeff Hafley 🏈Titans: Robert Saleh 🏈Bills: 🏈Steelers 🏈Browns 🏈Cardinals 🏈Raiders
In his second season with the Eagles, DeJean earned an Associated Press first-team All-Pro nod alongside his teammate, rookie Quinyon Mitchell.
Eagles reporter Jeff McLane wrote it was “only a matter of time” before the Eagles lost Parker, noting players “hold him in high regard.”
In landing the job, Parker beat out another former Eagles coach who interviewed for the Cowboys’ defensive coordinator position – Jonathan Gannon, who is on the job market after being fired as the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals.
Cowboys hire Eagles defensive coach Christian Parker: reports
Christian Parker has served as the Eagles’ defensive backs coach under defensive coordinator Vic Fangio the past two years.
The Eagles are reportedly set to be on the market for a new defensive backs coach.
Christian Parker, who has served in the role under Vic Fangio for the last two seasons, is expected to become the next Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator, according to multiple reports.
Parker, 34, had become a hot commodity this offseason, as he was also reportedly set to interview for the Green Bay Packers’ defensive coordinator vacancy.
In a short span, Parker has helped develop a pair of young, standout cornerbacks in Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean. Both players earned their first All-Pro and Pro Bowl nods under Parker this season in just their second years.
Parker will reportedly replace Matt Eberflus, whom the Cowboys fired in January after one season at the helm of one of the worst defenses in the organization’s history.
Brandon Graham thinks Birds need an ‘experienced’ offensive coordinator
Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham.
Eagles players past and present are among those weighing in on the team’s coaching vacancy.
On The Rich Eisen Show, former Eagles defensive end and Super Bowl 52 champion Chris Long urged his former squad to hire a “cheat code” at offensive coordinator.
“You need to hire a cheat code offensive coordinator. We talk about this thing a lot – bring somebody out of retirement, or find somebody who’s aged out,” said Long. “Find yourself a [former Saints and Raiders coach] Dennis Allen, because you have one on defense, and his name’s Vic Fangio. He’s not getting a head coaching job. He doesn’t want one.”
Long later explained that the Eagles should hire a coordinator who will not leave for a head coaching vacancy to assist Hurts’ further development. Famously, Hurts has had nine offensive coordinators in ten years, a trend spanning back to his time at Alabama.
Meanwhile Eagles legend Brandon Graham, who came out of retirement to play for the team last season, seems to agree.
“I feel like you got to have someone that’s experienced,” Graham said on his podcast. “I like what someone said about a Vic Fangio [on offense] … You really do have to have that command. Because if A.J. [Brown] and all the guys that [were], you know, disgruntled last year, we got to get everybody believing it. …
“I think a veteran person, or someone that got respect in the league will just have everybody kind of [have a] change in belief and get a re-energized feeling.”
— Conor Smith
// Timestamp 01/22/26 12:49pm
Resetting the Eagles’ options at offensive coordinator
Colts offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter was a consultant when Nick Sirianni first got the Eagles job in 2021.
One by one, offensive coordinator candidates that have been tied to the Eagles have been taken off the big board.
The latest is Zac Robinson, who is finalizing a deal, according to multiple reports, to be the next coordinator in Tampa. Robinson, who interviewed with the Eagles, joins Mike McDaniel, who talked to the Eagles, as candidates who are no longer in the pool. McDaniel will head west to the Los Angeles Chargers.
Another name to potentially cross off is Brian Daboll, who, according to The Athletic, wants to be the next head coach of the Buffalo Bills and otherwise plans to head to Tennessee to be the offensive coordinator under new defensive-minded head coach Robert Saleh.
The Eagles are the only team that didn’t make a head coaching change to still have an offensive coordinator opening. Eight teams that fired their head coach still have an opening at offensive coordinator.
Who’s left among the candidates the Eagles either interviewed or planned to? Another name popped up on the list Thursday morning. Let’s start there …
Eagles will reportedly interview Bears offensive coordinator Declan Doyle
Bears offensive coordinator Declan Doyle.
Add the NFL’s youngest offensive coordinator to the list of coaching candidates the Eagles are considering.
The Birds, according to ESPN, requested to interview the 29-year-old Chicago Bears’ offensive coordinator. Doyle was hired by Ben Johnson last offseason after serving as the tight ends coach in Denver for the previous two seasons. The Iowa native and 2018 Iowa grad worked as a student assistant with the Hawkeyes from 2016 to 2018 and then was an offensive assistant with the New Orleans Saints from 2019 to 2022. Talk about a fast riser.
Johnson, of course, has a big hand in the offense and calls plays for the Bears. But Doyle had a hand in the Bears’ sixth-ranked offense by yards per game. Chicago was 32nd a year ago. Johnson gets a lot of credit for that, but Doyle’s role can’t be
Doyle has never been a play-caller, which makes him an outlier among the other candidates the Eagles have been in contact with. The Eagles seem to be targeting coaches with more experience than Doyle, but there is value in meeting and talking to a young coach like him. Even if it’s not for this job at this juncture.
Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie (left) and general manager Howie Roseman, seen here during the 2024 season.
The Eagles are the only team with an existing head coach that is still searching for an offensive after the Buccaneers reportedly hired Zac Robinson (whom the Eagles also interviewed).
The other four teams that made an offensive coordinator change this offseason: Lions (Drew Petzing), Chargers (Mike McDaniel), Chiefs (Eric Bienemy), Commanders (David Blough).
There remain eight teams that have fired their head coach that still have offensive coordinator openings. Five – the Cardinals, Bills, Browns, Steelers, Ravens, and Raiders – have yet to hire head coaches, while the Dolphins and Titans have hired head coaches Jeff Hafley and Robert Saleh, who have yet to fill their offensive coordinator spots.
The Giants, with new head coach John Harbaugh, will reportedly have Todd Monken as offensive coordinator. The Falcons, with Kevin Stefanski, will have Tommy Rees.
Another candidate passes on the Eagles as Zac Robinson lands with the Bucs
Staying in the NFC South: Buccaneers are finalizing a deal to hire Falcons offensive coordinator Zac Robinson as their offensive coordinator, per sources. pic.twitter.com/Hljnyl9vGE
Latest on Eagles’ search for a new offensive coordinator
The Eagles interviewed former Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy Wednesday.
It’s been about a week since the Eagles moved on from offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo, and the Birds have been busy interviewing potential replacements.
They just don’t seem to be having much luck landing their top candidates.
Here are the offensive coordinator candidates the Eagles have already reportedly interviewed or are scheduled to meet with:
Brian Daboll: The former Giants head coach, reportedly at the top of the Eagles’ wish list, interviewed with team Tuesday, according to Jeff McLane. But Daboll is expected to land in either Buffalo or Tennessee.
Zac Robinson: The former Falcons offensive coordinator was the first candidate interviewed by the Eagles, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. But he reportedly will fill the vacant offensive coordinator job with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Josh Grizzard: The former Buccaneers offensive coordinator interviewed with the Birds Monday, according to Jordan Schultz.
Mike Kafka: The former interim head coach and offensive coordinator of the Giants interviewed with the Birds Saturday, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.
Jim Bob Cooter: The Colts offensive coordinator and one-time Birds assistant also interviewed with the Eagles Saturday, according to multiple reports. Colts head coach and former Birds offensive coordinator Shane Steichen is open to letting Cooter pursue an opportunity to call plays, according to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer.
Bobby Slowik: The Eagles planned to interview the former Dolphins pass game coordinator, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. It’s unclear if he’s met yet with the Birds.
Former Giants head coach Brian Daboll interviewed with the Birds Tuesday, but appears to be headed to either the Bills or Titans. Former Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel is taking the vacant offensive coordinator job with the Chargers.
Which Eagles players should stay or go next season? Swipe and decide.
// Timestamp 01/21/26 3:28pm
Eagles interview Matt Nagy: reports
Former Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy.
After failing to land two of their top candidates, the Eagles interviewed former Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy Wednesday, according to multiplereports.
A one-time Eagles quarterback (he spent one morning as a third-stringer) who grew up in the Lancaster area, Nagy spent the past four seasons in Kansas City, three as the Chiefs offensive coordinator. It was his second stint in Kansas City, which sandwiched his four-year tenure as head coach of the Chicago Bears.
Nagy got his coaching start with the Eagles in 2008 under Andy Reid as an intern, moving up to offensive quality control coach before following him to Kansas City.
Considered a front-runner for the Tennessee Titans head coaching job that ultimately went to Robert Saleh, Nagy has also reportedly interviewed with the Las Vegas Raiders, Arizona Cardinals, and Baltimore Ravens.
Nagy’s contract with the Chiefs expired at the end of the season, and Kansas City plans to bring back former offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy to replace him, according to multiple reports.
Are McDaniel and Daboll ‘dumb,’ ‘stupid,’ or justified to avoid Philly?
Yes, Philadelphia is a big, vibrant market, but lately that passion has boiled over into abuse.
Jake Rosenberg is Howie Roseman‘s former salary cap wizard who left the Eagles two years ago for greener pastures. Rosenberg now is a consultant for college athletes and administrators, as well as a headhunter for doctors. Quite the CV.
He’s also a hardy tweeter.
On Tuesday night, after Brian Daboll interviewed with the Eagles for the vacant offensive coordinator position, Rosenberg quote-tweeted a report from The Athletic’s NFL reporter, Diana Russini, refuting her answer to a question posed during her appearance on 94-WIP’s afternoon show that painted the Eagles’ job as unattractive: “I think coordinators on this list are aware that navigating Philly is difficult.”
Rosenberg, a fiery sort, called both the question and the answer “dumb,” as he issued what you would have to assume was a state-sanctioned response, with a list of nine reasons.
Ask dumb questions get dumb answers.
1. Talent at skills and QB 2. Market 3. HC with 5 straight playoff and 2 SB 4. 2 OC who got HC jobs 5. Best GM in league 6. Max prime time games 7. OL 8. Draft resources 9. Ownership
Minutes before Rosenberg’s post, Russini, among others, reported that Mike McDaniel would take the Chargers’ OC job if he didn’t get one of the head-coaching jobs still in play.
He never even granted the Eagles an interview.
On Wednesday morning, Russini, among others, reported that Daboll would take the OC job in Tennessee if he wasn’t hired as Sean McDermott’s replacement as the Bills’ head coach. Whatever happened in Philly on Tuesday convinced Daboll by Wednesday that Nashville and Buffalo were better places for him.
If the reports are correct, it’s a scathing indictment on what appears to be a prime NFL job. Until you look a little closer.
Then you see the cracks in the Eagles’ foundation, and you realize:
Maybe it’s not so prime. Here are some counterpoints:
Fox’s Greg Olsen praises Nick Sirianni, calls Eagles opening ‘a great job’
Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni, seen before a game in November.
On Wednesday’s episode of New Heights, Jason and Travis Kelce offered their takes on the latest NFL news as the conference championships approach this Sunday.
The brothers brought in Fox analyst Greg Olsen, who among other things had some words of admiration for coach Nick Sirriani.
“I love Sirianni,” Olsen said. “I actually texted him because I ran into his brother at the Miami game. I know he gets a lot of flack, and people want to come after him, but I love him, his energy, his edge, and I love the way he manages the game. I ended up fighting the entire universe on behalf of him a couple weeks ago. But that was a losing proposition.”
Olsen also emphasized the opportunity for the Eagles in hiring a new offensive coordinator.
“If I’m an offensive play-caller, I’m doing everything in my power to get that job,” Olsen said. “I want to call offensive plays in Philadelphia because you can do whatever you want. That’s a great job.”
Eagles appear to have missed out on two top coaching candidates
Former Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel (left) and former Giants coach Brian Daboll.
With Mike McDaniel heading to the Chargers and signs increasingly pointing Brian Daboll toward the Bills’ head coaching job or Titans’ offensive coordinator job, as reported by The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, the Eagles would have missed out on two of their top OC candidates and two of the top names around the league.
The Eagles met with McDaniel virtually, as PHLY’s EJ Smith wrote, per league sources. It wasn’t a formal interview, but it was an in-depth conversation.
McDaniel and Daboll would have been given autonomy over the offense, sources said. There are a few remaining candidates that would have leverage to get authority, but that doesn’t mean Nick Sirianni won’t hand over the offense, depending upon the coach.
The Eagles have cast a large net, one seemingly larger with McDaniel and Daboll unlikely, and thus the process will continue.
McDaniel’s decision shows the Eagles are casting a big net for a reason
Mike McDaniel is moving to Los Angeles to become the Chargers’ new offensive coordinator.
We now know why there wasn’t much smoke about Mike McDaniel and the Eagles.
McDaniel to the Los Angeles Chargers was pretty much a fait accompli. And for good reason. The Chargers have pretty much everything a play-caller could hope for:
A franchise quarterback who has yet to reach his ceiling and has as much all-around talent as anybody in the NFL.
Two young All-Pro-caliber offensive tackles.
A head coach with massive credibility.
An offense that hasn’t come close to producing what it is capable of.
An indoor stadium.
A home city that is one of the best places in America for a rich person to live.
The big question now is where the Eagles rank as a landing spot among the remaining teams looking for play-callers.
A recent report from ESPN’s Diana Russini suggested Brian Daboll will head to Tennessee to serve as play-caller under new head coach Robert Saleh, provided he doesn’t land the Bills head coaching job. We’ll see how that plays out. The one advantage the Titans might have over the Eagles is a defensive-minded head coach who is less of a threat to meddle. But that’s really not worth diving into at this point.
The Eagles clearly have a lot of things going in their favor, but it will be interesting to see if their job is as attractive as all of us would have considered it to be at this time last year. Aside from the perception of Nick Sirianni’s potential involvement in game-planning and play-calling, the Eagles have some big question marks in Lane Johnson and A.J. Brown, the two of whom have been as responsible for the Eagles’ success as anybody on the roster outside of Jalen Hurts.
From the outside looking in, you can argue the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a more attractive situation than the Eagles. Todd Bowles is a defensive head coach who had two straight OCs quickly become head coaches in Dave Canales and Liam Cohen. They have a quarterback (Baker Mayfield), a solid offensive line, and tons of skill position talent.
The Eagles’ big advantage is their organizational resources, including a personnel department that has established itself as one of the best in the game over the last half decade or so. But they are casting a wide net for a reason. It’s a candidate’s labor market right now.
Eagles not expected to land Brian Daboll: The Athletic
The Eagles are conducting their offensive coordinator search with the understanding that Brian Daboll wants the Bills’ head coaching job. If he doesn’t land it, Daboll is expected to wind up in Tennessee as the offensive coordinator for Cam Ward and the Titans, per sources.
Baker Mayfield renews rivalry with new Falcons coach Kevin Stefanski
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield.
Philly native Kevin Stefanski picked the Atlanta Falcons head coaching job over the Eagles offensive coordinator decision, and in doing so renewed a rivalry between one of his former quarterbacks.
Current Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield was the starter in Cleveland when Stefanski was first hired as Browns head coach in 2020. But after two seasons and a knee injury, the Browns traded Mayfield to the Carolina Panthers and acquired Deshaun Watson in a since-mocked deal Cleveland is still trying to recover from.
That didn’t sit well with Mayfield, who called Ledbetter’s premise “a reach” and revealed Stefanski never reached out after the trade.
“Can’t wait to see you twice a year, Coach,” Mayfield wrote.
Failed is quite the reach pal. Still waiting on a text/call from him after I got shipped off like a piece of garbage. Can’t wait to see you twice a year, Coach. https://t.co/jUUsYkvlOC
Brian Daboll was interviewed by the Eagles Tuesday.
One day after interviewing for the Eagles offensive coordinator job, Brian Daboll will reportedly meet with the Buffalo Bills for their head coaching vacancy, first reported by The Athletic’s Dianna Russini.
Before his four-year stint as the New York Giants head coach, Daboll spent four seasons as the Bills offensive coordinator, where he’s credited with the development of MVP Josh Allen.
The Bills are also reportedly interviewing:
Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady
Washington Commanders run game coordinator Anthony Lynn
Indianapolis Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo
Jacksonville Jaguars offensive coordinator Grant Udinski
Miami Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver
Former Bills assistant head coach and current Commanders run game coordinator Anthony Lynn — a finalist for the Buffalo head coaching job in 2017 that went to Sean McDermott — is scheduled to interview for the Bills head coach job Saturday, per a league source.
Mike McDaniel takes Chargers job, crossed off Eagles list
Mike McDaniel is headed to the Los Angeles Chargers.
In the end, the Eagles couldn’t even get him in for an interview.
Former Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel is moving to the West Coast to take the open offensive coordinator job with the Los Angeles Chargers, according to multiple reports.
McDaniel was reportedly one of the Eagles top candidates to replace Kevin Patullo and turn around the Birds stagnant offense. But he ultimately chose Justin Herbert and Jim Harbaugh over Jalen Hurts and Nick Sirianni.
Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy.
An observation about the Eagles’ offensive coaching staff: 2025 was the first year Jalen Hurts wasn’t surrounded by former quarterbacks.
Shane Steichen and Kellen Moore were both Division I starters in college. They both had assistants who were NFL backups. Under both, Hurts finished with a passer rating above 100 and went to a Super Bowl.
Correlation doesn’t equal causation. Andy Reid was an offensive lineman. Bright offensive minds come in all shapes and sizes.
But I’m not necessarily talking about scheme here. I’m talking about the other important parts of coaching: teaching, explaining, understanding, conveying. McVay and Shanahan are outliers, given their upbringing, which was so rich it barely needs introduction. (McVay, the grandson of 49ers executive John McVay, was once hired by Mike Shanahan, Kyle’s father.) Otherwise, it’s only natural that former quarterbacks would have an edge in understanding how a current quarterback sees the field. Ben Johnson, Liam Coen, Kevin O’Connell, Sean Payton … all former quarterbacks.
Which makes Matt Nagy a guy the Eagles should talk to.
He certainly wouldn’t win the headline battle. But he’s a former quarterback (Delaware) with plenty of experience who got a bit of a bum rap during his four-year stint as head coach of the Chicago Bears. Nagy went 25-13 in the 38 games that Mitch Trubisky started for him. That looks even more impressive in hindsight than it did at the time.
Latest on Eagles’ search for a new offensive coordinator
Former Giants head coach Brian Daboll, seen here with Jalen Hurts following a playoff game in Jan. 2024.
It’s been about a week since the Eagles moved on from offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo, and the Birds have been busy interviewing potential replacements.
That includes former New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll, who was interviewed by the Eagles Tuesday, according to Jeff McLane.
“Daboll is clearly a top target for team brass,” McLane wrote. “There is also internal support to bring in someone who would make significant changes to the offense.”
Here are the offensive coordinator candidates the Eagles have already reportedly interviewed or are scheduled to meet with:
Brian Daboll: The former Giants head coach, reportedly at the top of the Eagles’ wish list, interviewed with team Tuesday, according to Jeff McLane
Josh Grizzard: The former Buccaneers offensive coordinator interviewed with the Birds Monday, according to Jordan Schultz.
Mike Kafka: The former interim head coach and offensive coordinator of the Giants interviewed with the Birds Saturday, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.
Jim Bob Cooter: The Colts offensive coordinator and one-time Birds assistant also interviewed with the Eagles Saturday, according to multiple reports. Colts head coach and former Birds offensive coordinator Shane Steichen is open to letting Cooter pursue an opportunity to call plays, according to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer.
Zac Robinson: The former Falcons offensive coordinator was the first candidate interviewed by the Eagles, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
And here are some coaches the Eagles have either reached out to interview or plan to bring in:
