Anyone expecting the early spring predicted by Punxsutawney Phil was sorely disappointed Monday when a storm dropped snow all over Northumberland County, causing a number of accidents on treacherous roads.
National Weather Service Meteorologist David Martin said at 7 p.m. Monday he expected more snow through 10 p.m. before the weather changed to freezing rain and sleet expected to fall until this morning.
The storm - which is the 15th to drop at least a dusting this winter season, and the second one in three days to leave a few inches - began lightly at approximately 2:30 p.m. and had an accumulation of at least 1 1/2 inches by 6:30 p.m.
Martin expected the northern part of Northumberland County to see between 2 and 3 inches while the southern part would get between 1 and 2 inches before this morning.
"The worst of (the snow) is over," he said at 7 p.m. "The worse threat is the freezing rain and sleet."
The precipitation comes from a complex storm system moving up the Ohio Valley and a new storm forming off the coast; the new storm will take over as the primary storm overnight while the Ohio Valley storm will head north into Canada, he said.
Overnight, the temperature will be in the upper 20s and increase to low to mid 30s by this morning, Martin said.
Slippery roads
The snow Monday caused several accidents.
Emergency personnel responded to several calls involving disabled vehicles throughout the area, including on Natalie Mountain and in Lavelle, where Route 901 curves sharply to the right at the bottom of a steep hill.
A 1998 Dodge Darango traveling in the northbound lane of Route 61 in Coal Township, just south of Brewery Curve, at 4:15 p.m. Monday hit a utility pole after the driver, Natalie-Anne Hornberger, 33, of Shamokin, lost control on the snow-covered road. Hornberger was transported to Geisinger-Shamokin Area Community Hospital. She was treated and released.
A mother and daughter escaped injury Monday evening when the Chevrolet Blazer in which they were riding went into a ditch and rolled onto its passenger side on Cherry Street in Rockefeller Township east of Route 890. The mother was assisted from the vehicle by firefighters. State police at Stonington did not provide the names of the two women.
Shortly after 9 p.m., emergency personnel were called to an accident on Route 225 in Lower Mahanoy Township, where a vehicle crashed into a structure.
Full details were not available by press time.
Today's forecast
Today is expected to be mostly cloudy with a brief rain shower in the morning and a light snow dusting in the evening, he said.
No other precipitation is expected this week, Martin said.
The most accumulation Northumberland County has seen from any one storm so far this year has been 3 to 5 inches.