The beloved fountain in Hellertown’s Detwiller Plaza was entombed by ice Tuesday, following several days of subfreezing temperatures. For fans of winter, it was a welcome sight; particularly since the fountain remained ice-free last year.
With temperatures climbing to above average levels later this week it won’t stick around for long, but the sight of ice on the fountain in Hellertown’s Detwiller Plaza this week was a frosty reminder that winter is just getting under way.
The ice began to develop when temperatures plummeted Friday as a powerful storm moved through eastern Pennsylvania, producing rain, snow and strong winds as it did so.
In the span of 24 hours, the temperature at Lehigh Valley International Airport fell from a high of 57 degrees to a low of 4, which was recorded just before midnight Friday.
On Saturday–which was Christmas Eve–the high recorded at the airport was just 13 degrees, which was nearly 25 degrees below normal and a new record “low maximum” (the lowest high temperature ever recorded) for the date. Saturday’s low was 3 degrees, and wind chills reached as low as -15 to -20.
Since Christmas Day, temperatures have slowly struggled to return to normal, although on Tuesday the mercury finally inched above freezing for the first time in four days. With overnight lows in the teens, there has been plenty of cold air so far this week to freeze much of the water that continuously flows through the eighty-year-old fountain.
There were no dramatic ice formations on the fountain during the winter of 2021-2022, which was one of the warmest on record in the Lehigh Valley, and in general the sight of “wedding cake” ice sculptures in Hellertown has become a rarer sight in recent years.
Whether more ice will form in January remains to be seen, but December is going to conclude with above average temperatures, according to National Weather Service forecasters. The latest outlook for Allentown calls for highs in the 40s Wednesday and Thursday, with highs of 50 or higher Friday through at least Tuesday. Although there is also some rain in this weekend’s forecast, the milder conditions will likely be enjoyed by many area residents who have plans to celebrate New Year’s Eve viewing fireworks or enjoying other outdoor activities.
Above, the Detwiller Plaza clock tower built by Joe Delfoe and other volunteers in the late 1980s overlooks the ice-covered Plaza fountain. The fountain is located at Main Street and Easton Road, across from Hellertown Borough Hall.
In addition to the fountain, some of the small shrubs that encircle it became encrusted by ice due to the frosty spray the water feature projects onto them.
