Snowmaggedon 2.0 puts Philly's storm response to the test

The big picture: Pennsylvania officials declared a state of emergency ahead of the storm and implored residents to delay unnecessary travel and take the storm seriously.

Catch up quick: The Parker administration's response to last month's storm was widely panned, including by some neighborhood groups that were left reeling by the lack of city services.

• But that storm was a tune-up for this latest blizzard, which has pounded the region with more than a foot of snow, canceling classes, snarling public transportation, delaying flights and confining people to their homes.

Driving the news: About 65% of Philly's more than 2,500 miles of roads have been plowed, salted or had snow removed, Carlton Williams, the city's director of clean and green initiatives, said at a Monday news conference.

• "The message for [residents] today is patience," Williams said, as city officials stressed Philly remains under a snow emergency. "We're coming. We have not forgotten about you."

By the numbers: Philly's snow tab — at least $59 million to-date — will climb in the coming days as city officials deal with the aftermath of the latest storm, which caused thousands of temporary power outages across the Philly region.

• More than 600 flights were canceled at Philadelphia International Airport, Parker said.
• Plus: More than 250 people experiencing homelessness sought shelter overnight at Philly's warming centers, and the city has responded to 47 fallen trees — and counting.

Zoom in: Parker says the administration's "One Philly Response" is now fully operational. The playbook includes:

• More than 800 pieces of equipment and 1,000 workers who have been working since 1pm Sunday to get ahead of the storm.
• Crews of snow blowers clearing bike lanes and ramps for people with physical disabilities.
• 25,000 tons of salt on reserve, much of which is being scattered across the city.

👍 2 cool things: Philly is also deploying three industrial snow melters, capable of melting more than 180 tons of snow per hour.

• Residents can also now track whether their streets have been plowed.

⚠️ 1 big lesson from the last storm: Philly's government isn't nimble enough to immediately clamp down on viral misinformation.

• Parker says a false claim quickly spread online during the last storm that the city was giving away free salt to residents, sending her panicking, "because they're telling us our barge is stuck and they're saying we're giving out free salt."

What else: The Parker administration is getting an assist from Mother Nature this time.

• The snowpack is expected to melt faster than what fell last month, Nick Guzzo, meteorologist for the NWS in Mount Holly, tells Axios.
• Temperatures are forecast to moderate: Highs will reach above freezing Tuesday, and into the 40s Wednesday and Thursday.
• Plus: Rain later in the week will accelerate the melting process.

What they're saying: John Scott, president of the Fishtown Neighbors Association, tells Axios he's seen improvement in how the city has handled the latest storm.

• City workers more quickly cleared some Fishtown streets that were identified as trouble spots during last month's storm.
• "If you ask me, I think they were out of practice," Scott said. "It has been years since we had a big storm."

The Parker administration has done a good job communicating what it's doing to help residents dig out, St. Joseph's University professor emeritus of history and political commentator Randall Miller tells Axios.

• Delivering core services — not just citing statistics — will shape how the response is judged.
• "People's perception will be what's happening on their street, on their bus stop," he says. "If you play the numbers game, and none of these things show up in your neighborhood, you're going to be very teed off."

What we're watching: Whether schools and city offices will remain closed Tuesday.

• The Parker administration will provide another update at 6pm Monday.