The National Weather Service upgraded their winter weather advisory for Luzerne County to an ice storm warning on Monday afternoon.
File photo
The National Weather Service upgraded their winter weather advisory for Luzerne County to an ice storm warning on Monday afternoon.
The warning was issued and put into effect around 3:30 p.m. on Monday, and will remain in place until 10 a.m. on Tuesday.
Significant icing and snow accumulations of up to two inches are expected, according to the National Weather Service. Higher elevation areas could see as much as a half an inch of ice, while lower areas in the valley are expected to see ice totals ranging from a tenth to a quarter of an inch.
The worst of the snow and ice is anticipated to arrive later on this evening. Snow is expected to start falling around 7 p.m. on Monday, with freezing rain and sleet starting to mix in closer to 9 p.m. and lasting through the night into Tuesday morning.
The National Weather Service also cautioned in their advisory that power outages and damaged trees are likely due to the ice. Travel could be nearly impossible on Monday night and the Tuesday morning commute may be impacted, as well.
Travel restrictions
In a statement issued on Monday afternoon, Gov. Tom Wolf cautioned Pennsylvanians to avoid or reduce any travel during the ice storm warning.
“Safety is paramount during these ongoing winter storms,” Wolf said. “State agencies, including PennDOT and the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA), and local municipalities are working to prepare roads and clear snow and melt ice to allow for necessary travel, but the more we stay off the roads, the easier their jobs will be and the safer we will make our state.”
As of 7 p.m. Monday night, Tier 1 restrictions were put in place on the Northeast Extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike (Interstate 476) as well as on the entire lengths of Interstate 80, Interstate 81, Interstate 84 and Interstate 380.
Under Tier 1 restrictions, a number of vehicles are not permitted to use the impacted roadways, including:
• Tractors without trailers;
• Tractors towing unloaded or lightly loaded enclosed trailers, open trailers or tank trailers;
• Tractors towing unloaded or lightly loaded tandem trailers;
• Enclosed cargo delivery trucks that meet the definition of a CMV;
• Passenger vehicles (cars, SUV’s, pickup trucks, etc.) towing trailers;
• Recreational vehicles/motorhomes;
• School buses, commercial buses and motor coaches not carrying chains or Alternate Traction Devices (ATD’s); and
• Motorcycles.
Additionally, the northbound lanes of Interstate 81 from Exit 151A to 165 were closed due to a crash on Monday night, according to a release from PennDOT. The affected stretch of road is expected to reopen around 9 p.m. Monday.
In addition to the current ice storm warning, the National Weather Service’s Hazardous Weather Outlook also referenced another storm possibly heading into the area on Thursday and Friday, with heavy snow and a possible wintry mix.
