Winter is slightly halfway over, yet many locations have seen well below normal snowfall.

That trend continued even as some snow mixed with rain throughout the region Wednesday afternoon.

Total snowfall in most areas around Lehighton was in the 2-inch range, said Adam Douty, a senior meteorologist with AccuWeather.

Douty said that some areas just south of Allentown saw about 3.5 inches.

“There wasn’t too much variation,” Douty said. “The storm started around noon, ended around 4.”

Douty said roads cleared up fairly quickly.

“It turned to a drizzly mess,” he said. “It looks like everything played out like expected.”

Traffic issues

Though the storm ended quickly, it managed to cause issues along several roadways.

Route 309 in West Penn Township in Schuylkill County, and Lynn Township in Lehigh County was closed to traffic Wednesday after a snowstorm made travel impossible for tractor trailers and many cars and SUV’s. The storm struck around noon, leaving roads snow covered and impassable.

As snow begins to fall throughout the area, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation temporarily reduced the speed limit on Interstate 81. Additionally, speed and vehicle restrictions were implemented on several other roads in east central Pennsylvania.

PennDOT urged motorists to avoid unnecessary travel, but those who had to head out saw speeds reduced to 45 mph on Interstate 81 in Schuylkill County; and Interstate 380 in Monroe County.

Vehicle restrictions were in place for the following roadways: I-80 in Carbon and Monroe counties; I-81 in Schuylkill County; and I-380 in Monroe County; Interstate 78 in Berks, Lehigh and Northampton counties; Interstate 80 in Carbon and Monroe counties; Interstate 81 in Schuylkill County; US 22 in Lehigh and Northampton counties; and PA 33 in Northampton and Monroe counties.

Under Tier 1 restrictions, the following vehicles were not permitted on affected roadways: 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 unloaded or lightly loaded cargo delivery trucks/box trucks that meet the definition of a CMV; passenger vehicles (cars, SUV’s, pickup trucks, etc.) towing trailers; recreational vehicles/motor homes; school buses, commercial buses and motor coaches; and motorcycles.

Easy clean up

A light, fluffy snow enveloped Lehighton, which made cleanup fairly easy for most.

Adam Semmel used his snowblower to clear the wet snow off his pavements in the 200 block of South Fourth Street.

Joined by his son, Maxtyn, 3, and their dog, Rumor, Semmel said he was glad to be off.

“It’s a snow day,” Semmel said. “Max is excited.”

Max was indeed excited as he made and hurled a few snowballs.

“I like to play and get snowballs,” Max said.

Semmel said this was the second time this year he utilized his snowblower.

“I thought it was going to start earlier,” he said. “I was pleasantly surprised (that it didn’t arrive until later).”

Douty said that looking ahead, we could see some rain showers Sunday into Monday, before temperatures appear to get colder next week.