FIRST: THE SNOW

It started pretty much on schedule, between 7 and 8pm in much of the area. It started officially in Philadelphia at 7:52pm. It’s a weak disturbance moving rapidly through the area, bringing mainly light snow to the area overnight. 

The “overnight” part is important, too. With little traffic, road crews have a much easier time taking care of the streets. In contrast, snow plows apparently got stuck in traffic in Buffalo today, turning a small mess into a big mess. 

HOW MUCH?

Computer models show no indication of this system strengthening during the night, so our original predictions still look OK. Here’s the latest model based on data from 7pm Thursday:

It shows the same thing earlier models did: a couple inches of snow around the Philadelphia, West Chester, Wilmington, Mt. Holly region, with less to the north and the south. The slightly brighter color near the Jersey Shore suggests closer to 3”. But the snow is ending even at the Shore at 7am, the time of the forecast map, as you can see below: 

SHORE SNOW SATURDAY

There’s another disturbance coming right on the heels of the first. This one is going to be a real storm, and parts of some southern states are going to get slammed by it. In our case, the Jersey Shore and Delaware Beaches could get more snow from that storm Saturday than what they’ll see tonight. 

The overall pattern does NOT favor the storm strengthening rapidly or tracking more up the coast. In this case, it’s mainly about how wide the significant snow area is on the north side of the storm. It’s a battle between the southern moisture and the Arctic air over New England. Some Thursday evening computer models show a lot of snow for the Jersey Shore, while others show much less. Below is a compromise-type map, the Canadian, which shows a storm offshore and a huge area of precipitation around it: 

DON’T FORGET THE COLD

Arctic air is moving in now, and it’s just going to get colder and colder as we head toward the weekend. Here are predicted temperatures at 7am Sunday from the latest computer model. 

Remember, these are temperatures, not wind chills. I expect 15-30 mph winds Sunday, so wind chills should be down near ZERO in places. 

But, like other cold blasts this season, it’s not going to last for a long time. The warm up starts Tuesday, and look at the forecast maps for Wednesday compared to normal: 

That’s the entire eastern half of the country with WAAAY above normal temperatures! We could even get back to 50+ degrees that day. 

About a year after its brother died, a young red panda has died, leading a Montgomery County, Pennsylvania zoo to examine the remaining brother for any potential health concerns.

Shredder, a 2-year-old red panda at the Elmwood Park Zoo in Norristown, died after suddenly becoming ill Tuesday night, the zoo said in a news release.

Zoo staff noticed Shredder having trouble breathing a quickly took emergency measures finding an irregular heartbeat and fluid in his lungs, said the zoo. Shredder died within hours.

A necropsy uncovered that Shredder had an enlarged heart and other signs of heart disease that were previously unknown, said the zoo.

"Shredder showed no signs of illness and was even seen eating bamboo throughout the day," said zoo veterinarian Dr. Adam Denish. "Just as in people, animals’ hearts can be abnormal without any clinical signs. Shredder’s yearly exam revealed no signs of heart disease. Histopathology samples have been sent to a pathology service to confirm the zoo’s findings."

Heart disease can be a common cause of death in red pandas, said Denish.

Shredder came to the zoo in 2014 along with brothers Clinger and Slash. Clinger died in Dec. 2015 from encephalitis caused by a brain parasite, said the zoo.

The zoo planned to give Slash – the surviving red panda brother – an echocardiogram to make sure his heart is healthy.

Red pandas are considered endangered by the World Wildlife Fund, with less than 10,000 of the bear-cats living in the wild in the eastern Himalayas in Asia. [[26343834, C]]

Here are the 10 things you need to know to start your day from your friends at NBC10.

TODAY'S TOP STORY

Couple Inches of Snow Schools Commuters, Delays Schools: After up to 2 inches or more of snow fell throughout the Philadelphia region overnight, people faced a potentially slow ride to work or school Friday. The storm delayed dozens of area schools and even closed a few. Commuters and drivers will likely face slippery roads and travel delays as they maneuver through snow. As the snow fell, a tractor-trailer jackknifed along Interstate 95 southbound between Academy and Cottman leaving motorists stranded for about three hours as crews worked to clean up the mess. Luckily no injuries were reported.

• MORE ON THE SNOW

YOUR FIRST ALERT FORECAST  

The snow is expected to move through by Friday morning and Friday should be dry much of the day. The weekend could also see some snow. Preliminary snow totals show the shore getting the most snow on Saturday. The cold temperatures are expected to stick around Monday. High Temp: 35 Degrees. Get your full NBC10 First Alert forecast here.

WHAT YOU MISSED YESTERDAY

Customers Lament for Disappearing Macy's at Area Malls: Anne Venezia prefers shopping at Macy's to shopping at Macys.com. And the Montgomery County woman prefers the Macy's at Plymouth Meeting Mall to fighting the hustle and bustle (and parking woes) to shop at the department store at the King of Prussia Mall. Soon, her top option will be gone. The Plymouth Meeting Mall's anchor store is among three in the Philadelphia region that will close as part of a corporate downsizing by Macy's, which announced the closures of 68 stores nationwide along with 10,000 job cuts by the end of 2017.

• MORE ON THE CLOSURES

AROUND THE WORLD

Congress to Count Electoral Votes, End Presidential Election: A joint session of Congress is set to count the Electoral College votes, a traditional ending to a most unconventional presidential election. Barring something bizarre happening, Republican Donald Trump will be declared the winner at Friday's session. He will be sworn in on Jan. 20. All 538 electors met in their respective state capitals in December to cast their votes. A tally by The Associated Press showed Trump with 304 votes and Democrat Hillary Clinton with 227. It takes 270 Electoral College votes to win the presidency. Trump won even though Clinton received nearly 2.9 million more votes.

• MORE ON THE VOTES

Despite Pleas from Owners, Board Won't Demolish 'Watcher' House: The owners of a New Jersey home who say they were stalked by an anonymous creepy-letter writer known as "The Watcher" soon after they bought the luxury property won't get their wish to have the building razed. Planning board members unanimously rejected a demolition plan at a hearing Wednesday night. Residents who live near the home in Westfield told the board that the house was "magnificent" and "beautiful" and razing it would destroy their block. Derek and Maria Broaddus had proposed replacing the house with two homes because they said they cannot move into the existing house. Shortly after buying the six-bedroom house for nearly $1.4 million in 2014, the couple, who have children, said they received three threatening letters from a stalker calling himself "The Watcher." The previous owners of the home say the account is fiction and want a lawsuit filed by the current owners dismissed.

• MORE ON THE HOUSE

SPORTS SPOT

Embiid Misses Practice: Joel Embiid missed practiced by traveled with the Sixers to Boston for Friday's game against the Celtics. Get your full sports news at CSNPhilly.

PHOTO OF THE DAY

See more Top News Photos here.

THROUGH IGER'S EYES

@oinkandmoophl captured this cool photo of some delicious BBQ.

Have an awesome Instagram photo you'd like to share? Tag it with #NBC10Buzz.

TODAY'S VIRAL VIDEO

Several people help to rescue this German Shepherd. Watch more here.

Shaprio Gets Tearful Send Off at Last Montgomery County Commissioners Meeting: On his way out the door, one of Pennsylvania's most polished politicians didn't pass up an opportunity at low-brow humor. "Is it one-ply or two-ply?" soon-to-be state Attorney General Josh Shapiro asked jokingly before a vote on the county's purchase of "paper products" during his last meeting as Montgomery County commissioner. After the county clerk assured him it was two-ply, Shapiro said he wanted to make sure the 2,700 county employees he oversaw the last five years were taken care of after he left. Some of those employees, mostly from Shapiro's staff and upper department management, filled the eighth-floor boardroom Thursday for the outgoing commissioner. Many of them lauded him for his time in office. Read more.

That's what you need to know. We've got more stories worthy of your time in the Breakfast Buzz section. Click here to check them out. 

Fewer Americans are dying of cancer. The latest numbers from the American Cancer Society show a 25 percent drop in cancer deaths since 1991, the peak year for cancer deaths, NBC News reported.

Cancer rates are holding fairly steady, but better screening and better treatments mean that people who get cancer are living longer, the American Cancer Society says in its annual report. And as fewer and fewer people smoke, cancer death rates follow.

It projects that nearly 1.7 million people will be diagnosed with cancer in 2017 and 600,000 will die of it. 

"The continuing drops in the cancer death rate are a powerful sign of the potential we have to reduce cancer's deadly toll," said Dr. Otis Brawley, chief medical officer for the group.

Snow totals are coming in to the National Weather Service for our area as snow fell on the Philadelphia region overnight Thursday into Friday.

Here are some towns' snow totals by county for each state:

Pennsylvania

New Jersey

Delaware

A judge in New Jersey said that the family of a 13-year-old girl failed to make their case that she should be allowed to play on the boys basketball team at her school. 

The family of seventh grader Sydney Phillips had asked a court to order her school to allow her to play on the team after St. Theresa School in Kenilworth canceled the girls team because there weren't enough members. 

Sydney's family argued that she was being discriminated against because she is a girl and the school, which is part of the Newark Archdiocese, does not have a specific rule prohibiting girls from playing on boys teams. 

But a judge said the family could not prove that their daughter had a legally established right to play basketball with the boys. 

St. Theresa School maintained the league had a girls division and a boys division and when teams lack enough members, former members of that team can play at the closest school in the league. 

The judge said the case didn't meet the standards for granting injunctive relief, such as evidence that Sydney had a reasonable expectation of success in the case and that immediate, irreparable harm would result if not granted.

The family had not sought money but wanted Sydney to be given a chance to play. 

Sydney's parents were in the court room Thursday to hear the disappointing news. 

"She's a great girl, she's a strong girl," Sydney’s dad Scott Phillips said. "You know who the real losers are, the boys team, because they would have gotten a great player and would have probably won another game or two." 

The family said they're not sure if they'll take the case further to the appellate division. 

An American Legion building burned to the ground in Newark early Thursday morning, and 140 veterans are now forced to find a way to rebuild.

It's not clear what started the fire that ripped through the building on Elizabeth Avenue. Firefighters were able to get it under control quickly, and no one was hurt, officials said. But the building itself is a total loss.

"When I woke up, got this call that we have a fire, I was like, where did it come from, how did happen," said Michael Jackson, post commander of American Legion 152, one of the largest American Legion posts in the country for African Americans. 

"It's a brotherhood and sisterhood, and it's going to be a tough loss," said Kamal Brown, adjutant at the Guyton-Callahan post, which has been in Newark for decades. 

Brown said the American Legion there just had a coat drive, and every year holds a toy drive and feeds the homeless during the holidays. 

"We serve our veterans, our community and anyone who needs our help," said Jackson. 

Aside from charity events, the post served as home base for 140 veterans. The fire has destroyed precious memorabilia, but members are vowing to rebuild. 

"We're gonna get together, we're gonna build our hosue back up. That's what we're gonna do," said Jackson. 

A 20-year-old pizza deliveryman man mistakenly shot numerous times by two police officers in West Philadelphia in 2014 has been given $4.4 million by the City of Philadelphia.

Philippe Holland made his last delivery of the night, a cheeseburger order to a rowhouse near Kingsessing, when two plainclothes officers opened fire on his vehicle. Police Commissioner Richard Ross, first deputy commissioner in 2014, told NBC10 at the time that the officers were responding to a shooting.

"They're surveying the area and they see this male walking with a hoodie," Ross said at the time. "He's got his hands in his pocket and at that time, they order him to stop, and identify themselves."

Holland either didn't hear them or thought they were fake cops trying to rob him, according to reports from 2014. When he got in his car and started to drive, the officers opened fire. Holland suffered bullet wounds to his head and body.

The settlement between Holland and the city closes two lawsuits: one for claims of assault and battery against the police officers in Philadelphia Common Pleas Court and a federal civil rights action.

"This settlement will not only compensate an innocent citizen who suffered devastating injuries but also served as a catalyst for significant reforms in the way our communities are policed by plainclothes officers,” said attorney Tom Kline, of Philadelphia law firm Kline & Specter.

Kline said the settlement is one of the largest ever for a police shooting.

Holland suffers from a permanent seizure disorder and other permanent injuries after extensive surgeries, according to a press release Friday. Bullet fragments remain lodged in his brain, the release noted.

The city said in an accompanying statement that the shooting was an impetus for implementing sweeping changes and enhancements to the way Philadelphia police officers are trained to interact with the public. The police department also reformed its use-of-force policy after a spike in police shootings and a Department of Justice review throughout 2014 and 2015.

"The Philadelphia Police Department has agreed under the settlement to implement a new training protocol for all current and new plainclothes police officers," City Solicitor Sozi Pedro Tulante said in the statement.

That is only a piece of what has been substantial change in use-of-force under the DOJ review and a March 2015 report that recommended 91 changes or enhancements by city police.

Of those, the city said in the release that 61 have been completed, including instituting training for "unconscious bias"; establishment of a single investigative unit devoted to criminal investigations of all deadly force incidents; and a requirement that all officers who discharge their firearms be interviewed within 72 hours of a shooting.

"Significantly, the city also agreed to produce a training video that all new plainclothes officers will be required to watch before new assignments and as part of roll call," Kline said.

That new training protocol will begin July 1.

A man beat his 28-year-old fiancée to death overnight in Berks County, Pennsylvania, said police.

Suspect Ryan Schaeffer called police around 10:30 p.m. Thursday to tell them he beat the woman with his bare hands at an Alsace Township property, said Central Berks Regional Police. Officers arrived to the 700 block of Friedensburg Road to find the yet-to-be named woman’s body in the backyard, said police.

Schaeffer, 29, and the woman had two children together and were set to be married, said investigators. The children weren’t hurt and were being cared for by family members Friday.

A Magisterial court judge arraigned Schaeffer on third-degree murder and aggravated assault charges early Friday morning and sent him to county jail without bail. Online court records don’t list an attorney for Schaeffer.

Investigators didn’t immediately reveal what led to the deadly incident.

Snow Slows Friday Morning Commute

Round one of the snow moved in as expected: light to moderate and out before the early morning Friday commute. The snow passage left behind 1 to 3 inches of snow across the region, with icy slick roads that will linger through the morning.

Get snow totals for your neighborhood as more than 3 inches fell in parts of Chester County and nearly 2 inches fell in Philadelphia.

2nd Round of Snow

There’s another disturbance coming right on the heels of the first that has the NBC10 Weather Team issuing a First Alert for the Jersey Shore and Delaware Beaches. This one is going to be a real storm, and parts of some southern states are going to get slammed by it. In our case, the Jersey Shore and Delaware Beaches could get more snow from that storm Saturday than what they saw Thursday night into Friday morning.

The exact path of the low-pressure center (storm system) will have a big impact on our area. It’s a battle between the southern moisture and the Arctic air over New England.

The storm system will track along the east coast, just out to sea Friday night into Saturday morning. If the storm system moves far enough north, while still staying off to sea, it could spread snow across much of our region. Some Friday morning computer models show a lot of snow for the Jersey Shore and modest amounts for New Jersey to Philadelphia, while others show much less.

Take a look at two models below. The first shows the system just skirting the Jersey Shore and Delaware Beaches. The second shows a path that allows most of our neighborhoods, aside from the Lehigh Valley/Berks, to see snow.

As for the timing of the snow? It’s looking more likely the snow will shift near the shore by the morning hours, and linger into the mid-afternoon. For now, we’re going with a compromise between models, expecting the most snow – potentially up to 6 inches – at the Jersey Shore. Areas in New Jersey could see between 1 to 4 inches, with the higher values closer to the shore. And, Philadelphia is more likely to only see an inch, if the snow can make it that far north.

This, of course, is subject to change as we continue tracking the strength and speed of this system as it drives up the east coast.

Don't Forget the Cold

Arctic air is moving in Friday morning, and it’s just going to get colder and colder as we head toward the weekend. Here are predicted temperatures at 7 a.m. Sunday:

Remember, these are temperatures, not wind chills. I expect 15 to 30 mph winds Sunday, so wind chills should be down near ZERO in places.

But, like other cold blasts this season, it’s not going to last for a long time. The warm up starts Tuesday, and look at the forecast maps for Wednesday compared to normal:
 

That’s the entire eastern half of the country with WAAAY above normal temperatures! We could even get back to 50-plus degrees that day.