Detwiller Plaza in Hellertown, above, was snow-covered following a December 2020 winter weather event. (FILE PHOTO)
>>Click here to see photos from Thursday night’s first snowfall of the season!
Although the icy glaze weather forecasters feared would create slick conditions Wednesday morning failed to materialize, there will be another opportunity for potentially disruptive wintry weather to occur later this week, they said.
The National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory for Lehigh and Northampton counties for 2 to 4 inches of snow from 10 p.m. Thursday to 10 a.m. Friday.
The advisory statement said motorists should “plan on slippery road conditions” and that “hazardous conditions could impact the morning commute” on Friday.
If the snow falls as currently forecast, it will become the first accumulating snow of the season for many Lehigh Valley residents, as so far only trace amounts have fallen in places like Bethlehem, Allentown and the Saucon Valley area.
To the north and south of the Lehigh Valley there have already been heavier snowfalls, however. On Tuesday, for example, more than a foot of snow fell across parts of Atlantic and Cape May counties, along the Jersey Shore, where heavy snow is typically more rare.
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With Thursday night’s storm, locations in southern New Jersey may again receive the highest snow amounts, according to a winter weather advisory for the coastal counties.
“Widespread accumulating snowfall is expected across the advisory area Thursday night with rates up to 1 inch per hour possible,” it said. “A narrow band of locally higher amounts of 4 to 6 inches or higher is possible as well. The snow may mix with sleet at times.”
After Friday, the next opportunity for wintry precipition will be on Sunday, when there is a 70 percent chance of a wintry mix, according to the latest National Weather Service forecast. With an expected high of 41 degrees, Sunday’s weather may seem mild by Tuesday, when the current forecast for Allentown indicates that highs will only reach the mid 20s and lows will be in the teens.
