Winter Weather in Pennsylvania, December 16, 2000

A weak low pressure system developed along the North Carolina coastline during the early morning of the 16th and moved offshore during the day. In a situation similar to what occurred on December 14th, a large high pressure system brought in cold air near the surface the day before. The low itself was relatively weak and the warmer east winds took until the early afternoon to raise all surface temperatures in the Poconos above freezing even though it was warm enough aloft for precipitation to fall as rain. Rainfall amounts were light, generally under one-tenth of an inch. But, it does not take much freezing rain to cause problems on untreated roadways. An example of this occurred in Coolbaugh Township (Monroe County) when a vehicle lost control, flipped and knocked down a street sign. No very serious injuries were reported.