Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Pennsylvania, February 23 to 24, 1998

Another winter storm brought a mixture of snow, sleet and freezing rain to the southern Poconos, especially Monroe County. Precipitation type was elevation dependent with the heaviest snow in the higher terrain of Monroe County and a mixture of rain, freezing rain and sleet in the valleys. Precipitation started as rain in the valleys and snow over higher terrain around 6 p.m. EST on the 23rd. By 11 p.m. EST, snowfall accumulations over the higher terrain of Monroe County had reached 4 inches. Northeast winds circulating around the intensifying northeaster kept surface temperatures steady overnight as warmer air moved in aloft. This kept an elevation dependent mixture of precipitation. On the 24th, as the northeaster pulled away, precipitation changed back to sleet and snow before ending that evening. Accumulations were elevation dependent and included 9 inches in Long Pond, 5 inches in Tobyhanna but only around one inch in East Stroudsburg and Lehighton. Untreated roadways were very treacherous. The northeaster responsible for this winter storm was located near New Orleans the morning of February 22th. It moved northeast and reached Myrtle Beach South Carolina the morning of February 23rd, was about 150 miles east of Atlantic City at daybreak on the 24th and moved to the Gulf of Maine the morning of the 25th.