SHAMOKIN - The latest blast of winter weather was set to hit the area overnight as Mother Nature prepared a mix of sleet and snow which had potential to make driving a problem this morning.
The National Weather Service (NWS) issued a winter weather advisory for the area on Tuesday morning set to last from 7 p.m. Tuesday until 11 a.m. today.
"This could be a little more than a nuisance storm," said NWS meteorologist Craig Evanego. "It's going to start late Tuesday evening and mix a little sleet or freezing rain with the snow."
Evanego said that somewhere between two to four inches of snow, plus a bit of ice may fall overnight.
"Things are still going to be a mess in the morning, but the precipitation will start to taper off then and should be finished by midday," Evanego said.
The accumulation will add to the nine inches of precipitation and snowfall the area has received so far this season, according to Evanego.
In anticipation, PennDOT trucks were pre-treating some of the area's major routes with anti-icing solution.
The process involves wetting the highway with salt brine before a storm's arrival. The solution lowers the freezing point of water and slows or prevents ice from forming a bond with the road with the pavement during the early stages of the storm.
Department officials remind motorists that the pre-treatment is not a "silver bullet" to keep roads clear, but it gives crews an edge at the start of a storm.
Drivers will most likely see roads that are snow-covered and should slow down and drive accordingly in the conditions they encounter.
Temperatures are expected to rise and fall the rest of the week.
"We aren't seeing any significant storms for the rest of the week," he said. "We have a bit of a cool down once this system goes through, but then a cold front will make it chilly Thursday into Friday and then a warm up on Saturday with temperatures back into the 40s.
However, next week's concern won't be falling precipitation but falling temperatures.
"The big weather story next week will be a steady period of normal winter temperatures," Evanego said. "We have high temperatures in the 20s and overnight lows in the teens with some colder air on the way for next week."