Ice Storm in Pennsylvania, January 7 to 8, 2005

Pouring salt into a bad wound, a second ice storm in the space of three days affected the Poconos and the Lehigh Valley. Unlike the previous event, precipitation fell as either plain rain or freezing rain. There was no sleet or snow. In the region (especially the Lehigh Valley), precipitation type was elevation dependent as plain rain fell in the valleys, but fell as freezing rain over the higher terrain. Ice accretions from the two storms averaged greater than one inch in the hard hit locations on the Pocono Plateau in Carbon and Monroe Counties. The combination of the additional ice and continued temperatures below freezing caused additional outages and hampered restoration efforts. States of emergencies continued for sections of Carbon and Monroe Counties. Precipitation began around Midnight EST on the 8th and ended around Noon EST. Prior to dawn, temperatures in the higher terrain of the Lehigh Valley were below freezing. They rose above freezing during the morning as did some of the valleys in the Poconos. But, temperatures never reached above freezing in the Pocono Plateau. Around 1/4 of an inch of additional ice accrued on exposed surfaces in the Lehigh Valley and 1/4 to 1/2 inch of additional ice accrued on exposed surfaces in the Poconos. In the Poconos, the additional ice slowed restoration efforts. Even when power was restored, additional falling trees took down other power lines and caused more outages. Schools in Carbon County did not reopen until the 10th and in Monroe County not until the 12th everywhere. The outage number in Monroe County decreased from 28,000 on the 8th to 22,000 on the 10th, to 8,000 on the 12th, to 5,800 on the 14th. Power was not completely restored in the Poconos until the 16th. In the Lehigh Valley in Northampton County, Pennsylvania State Route 191 was closed. Newly downed trees worsened restoration efforts in the North Bangor Section of Upper Mount Bethel Township. The second ice storm was caused by a low pressure system that developed in the western Gulf of Mexico on the morning of the 7th. It moved northeast and reached near Pittsburgh on the morning of the 8th. Unlike the previous storm, the high pressure system was not in a favorable location for ice as it was located over the New England coastal waters on the morning of the 8th. But the previous ice storm left an environment (plenty of ice) which made it difficult for the cold air near the surface to be scoured. In fact the primary low pressure system weakened as it moved into Lake Ontario and a secondary low pressure system formed along the Delaware Coast during the afternoon of the 8th keeping a northeast flow throughout the event.