Frozen in time
Jack Frost isn't ready to leave just yet.
Over the weekend, a warm front that brought temperatures in the 50s and significant rain to the area, turned into an icy mess overnight as temperatures dropped below freezing, leaving the Monday morning commute a slow and slippery one.Ronald Yurchak, official weather observer for the National Weather Service in Tamaqua, reported that as of 7:30 a.m., a total of two inches of snow, sleet, and freezing rain fell in the Tamaqua area. He noted, that the total precipitation equates to 2.95 inches of water content.In Nesquehoning and Summit Hill, one inch of snow fell on top of sleet.At Central Carbon Municipal Authority in Lehighton, it was reported that only a dusting of snow fell overnight. No water content for the rain that fell during the day and then froze at the authority was available as of press time.Ron Young, district press officer for PennDOT, said on Friday, in preparation for the storm, "PennDOT maintenance workers checked area drainage inlets on state roads for debris."During the storm, there were crews out in Carbon and Schuylkill treating state roads for snow and/or ice."Young added there have been no flooding issues or problems along state roads in Carbon or Schuylkill counties.Mark Nalesnik, Carbon County Emergency Management Agency coordinator, said there were significant emergencies during the storm.A few accidents were reported across the area Sunday into Monday as a result of the heavy rains, sleet, and snow, including a minor one-vehicle accident into a utility pole in Coaldale last night as rain began to change over to sleet. A more serious accident occurred in Nesquehoning on Sunday afternoon when a sport utility vehicle lost control on an excessively wet roadway and crossed over the berm along SR209, hit the guide rails and went airborne. The vehicle came to rest after impacting several trees. The driver, who was trapped inside the vehicle for more than an hour, was taken to Lehigh Valley Hospital for treatment.A hit-and-run accident was reported early Monday morning in Lower Towamensing Township. Reports said a vehicle struck a telephone pole and then fled the scene.Another accident of a vehicle on its roof was reported around 8:30 a.m. along Route 895 in East Penn Township. No injuries were reported.Numerous schools were closed or had two hour delays as a result of the winter storm.In Carbon, BHA Academy; Carbon County Head Start; Carbon Career & Technical Institute; Educare/Weissport; Packer Ridge Academy; St. Joseph's Regional Academy; Our Lady of the Angels Academy; and Jim Thorpe, Lehighton, Palmerton, Panther Valley, and Weatherly school districts were closed. St. John Neumann in Palmerton; as well as CTC/Beaver Meadows, were on two hour delays.In Schuylkill, Tamaqua Area, Schuylkill Haven, Blue Mountain, and North Schuylkill school districts operated under a two-hour delay.Pleasant Valley School District in Monroe County was also operating under a two-hour delay.The area will see a break from precipitation Tuesday and Wednesday before rain moves back into the area Thursday and Friday.According to the National Weather Service, tonight will be cold and clear with temperatures hovering around 19. Tuesday will be partly sunny with temperatures around 45.On Wednesday, forecasts state that there is a slight chance of rain after 1 p.m., but otherwise it will be partly sunny with a high near 44.Thursday there is a 70 percent chance of rain, with temperatures in the high 40s. The rain will taper off Friday and is expected to turn partly sunny with a high near 46.The weekend right now, looks like a warm-up will be occurring. Both Saturday and Sunday call for partly to mostly sunny skies with temperatures right near the 50-degree mark.