Route 1 remains closed from Dewey to Bethany

DelDOT officials say Route 1 will remain closed, northbound and southbound, from Dewey Beach to Bethany Beach until the water recedes and officials can assess damage as a result of the weekend storm.

High water has closed New Road at Canary Creek and Canal Bridge on Savannah Road in Lewes, as well as Broadkill Beach Road, Primehook Road and Union Street in Milton.

All counties are now under a Level 1 Driving Warning. According to state law, a Level 1 Driving Warning means that any person operating a motor vehicle on Delaware roadways must exercise extra caution. All nonessential employees, public and private, are encouraged not to drive unless there is a significant safety, health or business reason to do so.

As of 8 p.m. Jan. 23, Delaware State Police had responded to a total of 150 property damage collisions, 16 personal injury collisions, 260 disabled vehicles and 70 traffic hazards statewide.

While flooding in coastal areas continued through the morning of Jan. 24, the morning high tide on Jan. 23 left the most damage. In Lewes, water levels during the first high tide of Jan. 23 were more than 9 feet above the average low tide - just shy of the flooding during the storm of March 1962, the National Weather Service reported in its latest briefing.

Delmarva Power's outage map shows hundreds of residents were without power Jan. 23 throughout Sussex County, including residents in the area of North Shores, Bethany Beach, South Bethany Beach, Ocean View and the Millsboro. More than 400 Delaware Electric Cooperative members in Sussex County were without power, DEC's outage map showed Saturday afternoon.

The National Weather Service called for a northeast wind, 37 to 44 mph, with gusts as high as 65 mph throughout Jan. 23. Chance of precipitation was 100 percent, with new accumulation of one to three inches possible.

On Sunday, Jan. 24, the sun was shining and precipitation ended after 10 a.m.

Three high tide cycles resulted in flooding along the Delaware oceanfront and back bays Jan. 23 and the morning of Jan. 24. Wave heights in near-shore waters over the weekend were forecast to build as high as 18 to 23 feet, with wave heights on the Delaware Bay as high as four to eight feet.

Roadway flooding has left some moderate property damage, and significant beach erosion in areas. People living in flood-prone areas were asked to prepare for rising water levels and to take appropriate action to protect lives and property.

Roadways across the state are snow covered. DelDOT trucks are plowing and laying salt on major roads, bridges and toll plazas. Residents can track the progress of DelDOT plows by watching the snowplow tracker, available at deldot.gov, or on the DelDOT app on a smart phone.

Drifting snow was a problem in some areas during the height of the storm, with a few roads in the Dagsboro and Millsboro areas reported to be impassable. Abandoned vehicles are making it difficult for plows to open an area of Gravel Hill Road south of Millsboro.

Delaware Transit Corporation fixed route and intercounty service is suspended Saturday, as is paratransit service. There will be no SEPTA Saturday service operating in Delaware. AMTRAK is running a modified schedule in the northeast, as the winter storm slams multiple states.

All public school activities in the state for the weekend, including sporting events, have been postponed.

An emergency shelter at Sussex Central High School in Georgetown opened at noon, Jan. 23. Pets are accepted at the shelter.  The Delaware National Guard has pre-positioned personnel and vehicles throughout the state to provide assistance where needed.

Click here to watch the a live traffic camera of the Indian River Inlet Bridge, southbound lane: http://www.deldot.gov/information/projects/indian_river_bridge/timelapse/index.shtml.

For more information as the storm develops, go to accuweather.com, weather.gov or follow the Sussex County Emergency Operations Center on Facebook or Twitter.