West Philly Local reader D.W. sent over this photo with the following comment: “It seems like someone had the right idea as I pulled into my parking spot after a 4 hour commute that normally takes one hour thanks to the heavy traffic. Should have packed the skis this morning.”

Mayor Michael Nutter declared a “snow emergency” at about 3 p.m. today, meaning parked vehicles must be moved off “snow emergency routes” as soon as possible so they can be plowed.

Several major streets in West Philly will be affected, including Chestnut Street, Walnut Street and Woodland Avenue. If your vehicle remains on one of these streets it will be ticketed and towed. If your car is towed, call 215-686-SNOW to find out where they took it. If you have to move your car, city officials are asking you to move it as far from a corner as possible to allow the plows room to turn.

So far most bus, train and trolley routes are still running, but may have delays. Go to SEPTA.ORG for info. Also, public and parochial schools are closed tomorrow.

See the full list of snow emergency routes citywide here.

In West Philly, snow emergency routes include:

• Chestnut Street from Cobbs Creek Parkway to 20th Street
• Walnut Street from Broad Street to Cobbs Creek Parkway
• Woodland Avenue from Cobbs Creek Parkway to University Avenue
• 34th Street from University Avenue to Grays Ferry Avenue
• 38th Street from Walnut to University Avenue
• 63rd Street from City Avenue to Walnut Street
• University Avenue from 38th Street to 34th Street
• Island Avenue from Woodland Avenue to Enterprise Avenue
• Cobbs Creek Parkway from Walnut Street to Woodland Avenue
• Schuylkill Avenue from Market Street to Walnut Street

The snow continues to fall in what looks like the worst snowstorm of the year. Be careful out there!

Photo by Annamarya Scaccia.

UPDATE (3:00 p.m.): All public schools, early childhood and after school programs will be closed Wednesday, Jan. 22, the School District of Philadelphia announced this afternoon.

All School District of Philadelphia schools and early childhood programs had early dismissal today (Tuesday, Jan 21) due to the severe weather forecast. Students were dismissed at 12:30 p.m.

Weather people are predicting between 7 inches and a foot of snow from this thing. The snow keeps falling and the temperatures are expected to drop below 10 overnight.

A train carrying crude oil and sand derailed overnight on a bridge across the Schuylkill River near Penn Park, according to various reports. The incident happened around 1 a.m., Philly.com reports. The train was traveling from Chicago to Philadelphia. Seven freight cars derailed. It’s not currently known what caused the derailment. No leaks from the derailed cars have been reported.

West Philly Local reader Algernong Allen sent over this photo he took this morning.

Clockwise from top left: Quique Sinesi, Pino Forastiere, Michael Dawes, and Brian Gore. Photo via Brian Gore’s Facebook page.

A group of guitar virtuosos from four countries is coming this Sunday, Jan. 19 to Crossroads Music at the Calvary Center (48th & Baltimore) to take part in the International Guitar Night, a North America’s premier mobile guitar festival. The concert starts at 7:30 p.m. and tickets are still available. The festival has featured some of the best performing guitar composers from around the world since 1995.

Here’s who’s coming to perform in West Philly: Pino Forastiere (Italy), Mike Dawes (England), Quique Sinesi (Argentina) and Brian Gore (California). Each year Gore, the festival founder, invites a new cast of acoustic guitar players to join him for special evenings of solos, duets and quartets. Participating musicians relish the chance to express reverence for one another, and to collaborate rather than compete with one another. Since the beginning, audiences nationwide have cherished “the friendly informal ambiance” of the performances. So, now you can enjoy it too. More information and tickets are available here.

Also, check out this video of Pino Forastiere: