Most areas of the region were expected to get 2 to 3 inches of snow on Friday as part of the third snowfall this winter.

The conditions were enough that several schools announced closures ahead of the snow that was in the forecast.

Carbon Transit canceled all services on Friday, as only return trips on CT Shared Ride were provided.

PennDOT temporarily reduced the speed limit on highways.

While the amount of snowfall wasn’t all that much, the main concern remains the frigid cold temperatures, according to Tom Kines, a senior meteorologist with AccuWeather.

“The snow this (Friday) afternoon ought to wind down this evening,” Kines said. “A dry, fluffy snow that’s easy to move around for those who need to shovel.”

However, Kines noted that with the fluffy snow and the wind picking up, there could be some blowing and drifting of snow to watch out for in certain areas.

“This evening, you still got to watch out for slick spots, snow covered roads; even though the snow will be diminishing at that time, I think there will still be some leftover tricky spots,” he said. “If there are any wet spots that materialize this (Friday) evening with the temperatures dropping quickly into the teens (Friday night), they might freeze up, so that could be a little bit of an issue.”

A Winter Weather Advisory was in effect until 10 p.m. Friday.

Open for business

In a post on its Facebook page, the Carbon Chamber & Economic Development encouraged patrons to support their local businesses.

“When all the snow and ice clears up, support/shop/eat your favorite small businesses first. They’ve likely missed at least two days of work, which could make or break their bills for this month. They need you, and honestly, your community needs them.”

Despite the bitter cold, the American Legion Post 314 in Lehighton plans to be open this weekend as usual, according to Susan Steager, legion steward.

“Extremely cold weather and the cold affect our business a lot,” Steager said. “I’m sure we won’t have a quarter of the business that we normally would.”

But, Steager noted they will have “great specials this week. Come in and check them out.”

It will be business as usual this weekend at La Dolce Casa - Dimaggio’s in Tamaqua, according to owner Alfie Picone.

“We function normally, normal hours, just because we heard that this winter’s going to be brutal with the cold weather and snow,” Picone said. “We’re ready to go; luckily we have a great staff to fully service our customers.”

Picone said it’s all about being able to adapt to the weather.

“We just want to tell everyone to be a little patient if they order delivery; the weather is not the greatest, so give them some time until we get to their home,” he said. We’re here to serve everyone.”

The Beacon Diner in Hometown also plans to be open all weekend, said waitress Christine Dilliard.

“We’ll be open all weekend no matter how cold it is,” Dilliard said. “In any weather unless it’s a major blizzard, we’re always open.”

Temperatures to rebound

Kines said the first half of this weekend will be cold, as temperatures Friday night were expected to drop down into the teens, and Saturday is going to feel like it’s zero or below for most of the time.

“So, if you have to go outside or want to go outside, definitely bundle up,” he said. “Protect your face, ears, hands, from frost bite; keep them covered up.”

Kines said things don’t look a whole lot better Saturday night, as temperatures are expected to dip down into the teens, and with the wind blowing, will make it feel like 5 to 10 degrees below.

The high on Sunday is expected to reach close to 30, but he said there will still be a noticeable wind blowing, which will make it feel like it’s in the single digits and teens.

In fact, Kines said Sunday night is likely to be the coldest night in this spell of cold weather, with temperatures down close to 10, though the wind is expected to die down.

Starting Monday, he said temperatures should start to moderate, and he doesn’t anticipate it will be as cold as the week we’ve been in.

Kines said temperatures are expected to get back up to the 30s, perhaps even close to 40 by the first half of the week.

He said Monday looks to be a dry day, with a lot of sunshine.

However, Kines said we may have to deal with some precipitation Tuesday or Wednesday.

“It’s not out of the question there could be some freezing rain or drizzle at the start of that,” he said. “After that, we might get a really mild day maybe Thursday or Friday when temperatures get up into the 40s.”