Snow began sifting down over our region last evening. It picked up speed as the night wore on, and by morning, people awoke to a blanket of several inches of snow from the year's first significant storm. A dusting is expected to fall Sunday night into Monday.

The heavy, dense snowfall looked beautiful, but made driving hazardous on the Hometown hill, just north of Tamaqua, and made for slow going until highways and municipal roads were cleared.West Penn Township crews were out by about 4 a.m., clearing the community's 150 miles of road.No serious crashes were reported as of early Saturday. Scanner reports suggested borough officials had their hands full with people throwing snow into roads and around their neighbors' cars.The snow was expected to begin tapering off early Saturday afternoon. The rest of the day is expected to be cloudy, with a high of about 35 degrees. Saturday night is expected to be breezy, with a low of 26. Sunday's forecast looks cloudy, with a high of about 29 degrees.A bit more snow is forecast for Sunday night into Monday, but the amount is expected to be less than three inches.A survey of readers who responded to the Times News' Facebook page post revealed the snowfall ranged from about six inches in West Penn Township, according to Mary Macenka Hertzog, to about seven and a half inches in Neffs, according to Scott Lakatosh.Kristie Turner reported six inches of snow in Lansford, and Nancy Barry Farkas measured about seven inches in Orefield.The National Weather Service reports eight inches of snow measured by a trained spotter in Macungie; five and a half inches reported by the state department of Transportation in Gilbert; seven inches in Nazareth, Northampton County, reported by a trained spotter; and a little over five inches in Lehighton.At about 4 a.m. Saturday, the state department of Transportation announced it was reducing speeds to 45 mph on Interstates 78, 80, 81, 176 and 380; routes 22, 222, and 422; and on state routes 33 and 309. Normal speed limits were resumed at 9:25 a.m.The agency asked people to stay off the roads unless absolutely necessary."Although PennDOT crews have been treating roadways, the department's primary goal is to keep roads passable, not completely free of ice and snow," the agency said in a news release.