Heavy Snow in Pennsylvania, January 8 to 9, 2001

Light snow spread across the Lehigh Valley and the Poconos during the afternoon and through the evening of the 8th. Precipitation started as light rain in the Lehigh Valley, but changed to snow by mid afternoon on the 8th. The precipitation intensity was mainly light and coupled with relatively warm temperatures, some of the snow melted as it fell in the valleys. Accumulations were generally under an inch. Higher terrain locations received between 2 and 3 inches. Specific accumulations included 2.7 inches in Saylorsburg (Monroe County), 2.3 inches in Williams Township (Northampton County), 0.8 inches in Lehighton (Carbon County), 0.7 inches in East Stroudsburg (Monroe County) and 0.5 inches at the Lehigh Valley International Airport. A weak low pressure system moved from South Carolina the morning of the 8th rapidly northeast and was located well east of Cape Cod by the morning of the 9th. The rapid movement and weak intensification of this low kept precipitation on the light side. Nevertheless, untreated roadways became slippery, especially during the night as temperatures dropped to around 20 degrees by the morning of the 9th.