News

February 5, 2010

Big snow storm to miss the county

About 1 to 3 inches expected; counties farther south under “winter storm watch.”

By Steve Mocarsky smocarsky@timesleader.com
Staff Writer
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Luzerne County should see a few inches of snow tonight into Saturday, but the brunt of a major winter storm approaching from the south is expected to miss Northeastern Pennsylvania.

The National Weather Service on Thursday afternoon issued a “winter storm watch” for Berks, Lehigh, Chester, Montgomery, Bucks, Delaware and Philadelphia counties from this afternoon through Saturday evening because of a storm system that had been developing over the Gulf of Mexico and is headed our way.

But WNEP-TV Chief Meteorologist Tom Clark said Luzerne County should see only about 1 to 3 inches of snow. Area residents can expect below-freezing temperatures and possibly some high winds late this afternoon and overnight into Saturday.

Clark expects the snow will start falling locally sometime between 5 and 8 p.m., and should stop falling by mid to late Saturday morning.

“We’re going to see a light snowfall from the storm, not a crippling amount,” Clark said. “We should only see the northern edge. The storm is too far south and east of our area for any significant accumulation, but it will be enough to slick up some roads Friday night.”

For those headed south over the weekend, however, travel could be treacherous.

Snow-covered roads, some blowing snow and very slow travel with up to 10 inches of snow are expected farther south, heading towards Harrisburg, and farther east, heading towards Philadelphia.

“From there on south to Baltimore and Wilmington, Del., and the southern part of New Jersey, it could turn out to be an all-out blizzard Saturday morning. Blizzard conditions should prevail in South Jersey and parts of Delaware,” Clark said.

The National Weather Service predicts up to 12 inches.

Clark said a major winter storm such as this one develops when a subtropical jet stream tends to pick up a lot of moisture from the Gulf of Mexico and “lots of heavy rain down south turns into heavy snow going from Kentucky, up through West Virginia, Virginia and Maryland as it mixes in with colder air.”

Clark said Luzerne County “dodged the bullet” last weekend when another major winter storm “went off to our south, even a little farther than this one. It could have been pretty serious here last weekend had that storm come north,” he said.

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