Winter Weather in Pennsylvania, December 29, 1998

A weak low pressure system over the south Atlantic States the morning of the 29th moved northeast along the Atlantic seaboard and reached the Gulf of Maine the morning of the 30th. During the morning of the 29th, while temperatures were above freezing just above the surface, temperatures at ground level were below freezing. Freezing drizzle developed and made all untreated roads very hazardous. A 30 mile stretch of the Northeast Extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike from Mahoning Township to Wilkes-Barre was closed from 945 a.m. EST through 1145 a.m. EST as road crews applied anti-skid material and removed thirteen accidents. The State Department of Transportation also closed one eastbound lane of Interstate 80 from Pennsylvania State Route 940 in Kidder Township east through Pennsylvania State Route 115 in Tobyhanna because of a stuck bus. Another bus traveling along Interstate 80 was involved in an accident in the Hickory Run area. No serious injuries were reported. Within Monroe County, there were over one hundred accidents reported. The Pennsylvania State Police in Swiftwater responded to 31 accidents by the middle of the afternoon on the 29th. Numerous minor accidents were also reported in Carbon County. During the afternoon of the 29th, as the low moved northeast along the Eastern Seaboard, precipitation became heavier and changed over from rain to snow across the Poconos. The change to snow took longest in the valleys, but by the time the precipitation ended during the evening of the 29th, it had snowed in all areas. Accumulations ranged from 1 to 5 inches and included 5 inches in Tobyhanna, 4 inches in Long Pond, 2.5 inches in East Stroudsburg and 1 inch in Lehighton.