Area snowstorm spawns slick roads, cancellations

Luzerne County and surrounding areas were spared the brunt of the Nor'easter that walloped New York, New England and Detroit with 1 to 2 feet of snow, but the region still saw its share of snow-related troubles and inconveniences Friday.

Snow began falling at about 3 p.m., leaving lawns and roadways coated within an hour or two. A total of 6 to 8 inches of snow was forecast to fall by this morning for all but a small southwest portion of Luzerne County, which was expected to see 4 to 6 inches.

There were some cancellations or postponements of events through the area, and dozens of flights into and out of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport at Avoca were canceled Friday.

Some interstate and intrastate bus runs also were curtailed. Martz Trailways' last run from New York City to Wilkes-Barre was at 6:30 p.m., while there are normally 10 trips from New York to Wilkes-Barre after 6 p.m. Martz Trailways will be running a modified schedule today.

A Luzerne County 911 supervisor said there were maybe a couple dozen accidents called in by 9 p.m., but nowhere near as many as last week, when snow and freezing rain fell with much less notice.

James May, press officer for the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation's District 6, said the district's 200-some plow trucks covering 4,000 miles of state highways through Northeastern Pennsylvania's six counties were keeping up with the snowfall. They made interstates their top priority, trying to strike a balance with clearing side roads.

May was aware of one crash in Susquehanna County earlier in the day, he said, but as of 9 p.m., there were only a couple minor issues with cars off the roads.

Road crews dropped brine down before the snowfall started and, later, plow trucks dropped anti-skid material behind them.

Although snow will wind down quickly early this morning, northwest winds with gusts of 25 to 35 mph might cause blowing and drifting of new-fallen snow throughout the day, the National Weather Service said.

The Weather Service also warned that a passing air disturbance late Sunday night into Monday morning might bring a period of freezing rain before transitioning to plain rain. This could impact the school and work commute on Monday morning.