Snow began falling in parts of Carbon County just after 7 a.m. Wednesday, with totals expected to reach 6-10 inches, according to the National Weather Service.

Higher elevations saw snow first as Dan Bell reported flakes in Penn Forest Township around 7:05 a.m. and Sharona M. Wieand began seeing the white stuff in Nesquehoning five minutes later.Shortly before 7 a.m., Palmerton and other communities in the southern end of the Times News coverage area had rain, which quickly turned to snow within 30 minutes.In anticipation of the storm, all area schools announced Tuesday night they would be closed Wednesday.Meals on Wheels is also closed in Carbon and Schuylkill counties as is the Palmerton Library.Winds of 10 to 15 mph are expected through Wednesday evening as a winter storm warning remains in effect for the area until 1 a.m.Several crashes were reported Wednesday morning.All four lanes of Route 309 on top of Blue Mountain were closed as the result of a jack knifed tractor trailer. There is also a large fuel spill at the scene.On North Lehigh Gorge Drive in Weatherly, a car into a tree left one male with a possible head injury around 9:30 a.m. Dispatchers said he was out of the vehicle, but not alert.Many boroughs and townships will likely have parking bans in effect.In Lansford, the day following a snowfall of 4 inches or more, on even-numbered days, all vehicles must be removed from the south and west sides of the street and on odd-numbered days, all vehicles must be removed from the north and west sides of the street. Ordinance plowing begins at 8 a.m.Bowmanstown Borough said it is down to one full-time public streets worker and is asking all residents to have patience during the storm.On the busiest day of the year, the Pennsylvania Turnpike has travel restrictions in place asking motorists to be more alert and cautious while traveling.According to the advisory, Wednesday is generally the single busiest day of the year on the Turnpike and could see as many as 500,000 vehicles this year. Traffic volumes will be heaviest Wednesday from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 8 p.m.The Turnpike Commission expects 2.7 million vehicles over the Thanksgiving holiday.The National Weather Service predicts a cloudy Thanksgiving day, with a high near 37 degrees. Black Friday looks to be another chilly day with a high of 35 degrees while staying mostly sunny.