Note: This story has been updated with the latest forecast information (Friday, March 10, 7 p.m.).
Just when many area residents figured winter was about to end with a whimper, instead it seems to be tightening a chilly grip around the region.
Although this month’s winter weather so far has been fairly unimpressive, a pattern shift has lowered temperatures and seemingly upped the potential for frozen precipitation.
The latest opportunity for ice and snow is Friday night and Saturday, according to the National Weather Service, which has issued a winter weather advisory for Northampton County for up to three inches of snow through Saturday at 10 a.m. An earlier advisory that included Lehigh County was canceled Friday.
The highest snowfall totals are likely across higher elevations to the north of Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton, according to forecasters, and slippery road conditions could cause travel problems throughout the area. As of 7 p.m. Friday, temperatures were hovering in the mid 30s and a cold rain was falling across much of the Lehigh Valley.
Temperatures are forecast to remain on the cool side in the coming days and additional wintry precipitation is possible Monday, Monday night and Tuesday, according to the latest NWS forecast for the Allentown area. Highs will generally range from the upper 30s to the mid 40s, with lows in the mid 20s to mid 30s throughout the period.
Although the winter of 2022-2023 will not be remembered as a good one for Pocono ski resorts, any snow that falls this weekend may help keep some of them open a bit longer, and the forecast is for heavy snow to blanket much of the mountains.
The National Weather Service upgraded its winter weather advisory for Monroe County to a winter storm warning, with an expectation that 4 to 8 inches of snow will accumulate.
Still, the days are getting longer, which means there will be more opportunity for melting to occur.
Sunday also marks the end of daylight saving time, which means that there will be an additional hour of daylight in the evenings beginning this weekend. The time change will officially occur at 2 a.m. March 12.
