At noon Wednesday the temperature at Lehigh Valley International Airport had already reached 60 degrees–smashing the record high of 59 set back in 1965–and the sun was shining brightly.
The mild air and blue skies, however, were misleading.
National Weather Service forecasters have issued a winter storm warning Wednesday night and Thursday for the Lehigh Valley, where they say 6 to 10 inches of snow could fall in what will doubtless be the biggest storm of the season so far.
In a statement issued Wednesday morning, the NWS said snow will overspread the area around midnight and is likely to become heavy between 5 and 10 a.m., causing significant impacts on the morning rush hour, before ending Thursday afternoon.
“The heavy snow will make many roads potentially impassable for several hours during the worst part of the storm,” it said. “There may be widespread power outages due to the weight of the snow on tree limbs and power lines. The threat for power outages will be less where temperatures are mostly below 30 degrees during the snow.”
Thursday’s high temperature is forecast to be 29 degrees in Hellertown, where borough officials said they will announce a snow emergency (if one is declared) on the borough’s Facebook page, in an email and via local media outlets.
“During a snow emergency, vehicles may be parked in public parking lots at Dimmick Park, Water Street Park and the Post Office lot (on Delaware Avenue). Vehicles must be removed within 24 hours,” the borough reminded residents.
“A typical plow used in the Borough of Hellertown needs at least a 12’ wide clearance,” the statement advised. “On non-snow emergency roads work with your neighbors to park on one side of the street. This will allow plows to clear to (the) curb on the side of the street where vehicles are not parked. If you have off-street parking or are near a public lot, please park there.”
What exactly does a winter storm warning mean?
The National Weather Service said it means residents of the area should prepare for a significant storm and refrain from traveling during it unless necessary.
“Only travel in an emergency,” they advised in their statement. “If you must travel, keep an extra flashlight, food and water in your vehicle in case of an emergency.”
The record warmth that now precedes the forecast storm could be followed by record cold, as the National Weather Service is predicting a low of 15 degrees Friday.
If the temperature does drop to 15 at the airport, it would tie a record set back in 1979.
