Now come the winds.

The Blizzard of 2010 continues its assault on an already snow-weary Lancaster County, as more than 16 inches of snow piles up, temperatures drop and winds escalate.

It's the winds that will create problems tonight and Thursday. Officials urged everyone to be patient as crews already are struggling to clear drifting roads.

"It's deteriorating pretty rapidly," said Scott Tanguy, the state transportation department's maintenance manager.

"This is just one of those forces of nature that is stronger than anything that mankind has to offer," he added.

Intermittent snow may continue until nightfall, with scattered snow possible overnight. The temperatures are falling into the low 20s and, with the wind chill, it feels like between 5 and 15 degrees.

VIDEO: AccuWeather Forecast
VIDEO: Heavy snow cripples county

As the snow blows, don't expect to go anywhere anytime soon, officials said.

"I think we can assume there are roads drifted shut," Tanguy said. "I can't even give you any specific locations because it's taken us so long to get around. I'm sure some of the secondary roads haven't had attention for a while."

Tanguy asked residents to be patient and not expect smooth sailing everywhere Thursday morning.

"It's going to be a very, very time-consuming and labor-intensive operation," he said. "It's not something that's going to happen real real quickly."

Crews will do their best to get around to all streets, but, he said, "If you wake up, and it's breezy and the sun is shining, don't expect help in an hour or two.

"We will be there but it's going to be very time-consuming."

Between 14 and 24 inches of snow is predicted to fall here, as the county inches toward possibly the snowiest winter on record.

Winds picked up throughout the late morning and early afternoon today, with winds of more than 20 mph and gusts near 35 mph at the Lancaster Airport by late this afternoon.

As the storm bore down on us, most of the county hunkered down.

Schools and government offices closed. Park City Center closed. Buses and trains stopped. Even the mail didn't get through in some areas, as the Lancaster Post Office suspended delivery to more than 100 routes before noon.

The National Weather Service issued a blizzard warning for the county, predicting high winds, blowing snow and poor visibility, effective until 7 p.m.

As the snow piled up, emergencies started to pile up, and rescue crews had to battle the weather to help people.

A building collapse was reported on River Road in Conoy Township. Numerous fire companies fought a fire at a tractor company on Brenneman Road in Strasburg Township.

In the case of emergencies, area fire departments will be available with vehicles and shovels and, in some cases, snowmobiles, said Randy Gockley, county emergency management coordinator.

Also, the county commissioners issued a disaster declaration late this morning, to allow municipalities to rent or obtain any equipment needed during the storm.

"Lancaster is set up right in the sweet spot, if you like snow," said Eric Horst, Millersville University meteorologist.

Heavy bands of snow passed over the county throughout the day. At times, the snow was so thick and blowing sideways that you could barely see across the street. At other times, it hardly snowed.

Despite the stiff winds, PPL saw few power outages as of late this afternoon.

Tanguy said PennDOT has two large loaders and two snowblowers available to blast snow above already high drifts.

In the city, officials are taking the unusual step of bringing in large snow blowers to physically remove the snow from streets and move it via dump trucks to parking lots.

Three blowers — including a very large one borrowed from Lancaster Airport — started working earlier this week and will continue after this storm, Mayor Rick Gray said.

"I bet we'll be seeing that snow into June on some of those lots," he said of the deep piles.

Motorists stayed off city streets, but the mayor said he did see some walkers out enjoying the storm.

"I said to one, 'How about this weather?' She said, 'It's beautiful. I love it, don't you?' I said, 'I used to,' " Gray said, with a rueful laugh.

Gov. Ed Rendell closed interstates 83, 78, and part of 81 at 12:30 p.m.

The governor also ordered non-toll portions of four interstates to close at 2 p.m. The affected highways include the Schuylkill Expressway (Interstate 76), and interstates 476, 176, and 676.

State transportation officials reduced the speed limit on highways, including Route 283 in Lancaster County, to 45 mph. Officials also banned certain large vehicles on the turnpike.

They also warned residents that it is illegal to dump snow on state roads, and said it makes plowing more difficult.

Officials acknowledged that, with the deep snow already on the ground, it is difficult to find a place to put more snow but asked residents to refrain from shoveling onto streets.

Coming on the heels of last weekend's 20-inch storm, and a Dec. 19 storm that dropped an average of 16 inches here, this storm moves this winter toward being the snowiest on record.

The winter of 1996 holds the record now, with 72 inches. At mid-day, the total snowfall had reached 64 inches for this winter, with more snow in the forecast.

Temperatures will be about 10 degrees below normal, with daytime highs only near 32, through the weekend. More snow is possible Monday into Tuesday, as an Arctic clipper system is headed our way.

cstauffer@lnpnews.com