Meteorologists at WNEP measured 19.5 inches at their station in Moosic as of 3 p.m. Tuesday. Their measurements go to the National Weather Service as the total for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport.
That breaks a previous one-day high of 18.7 inches recorded in 1993, said meteorologist John Hickey. It also breaks a high recorded by the National Weather Service of 18.3 inches on Jan. 13, 1964.
“As a forecaster, I love snowstorms. I love watching them blossom. And to see something historical like this, it is exciting to be part of history,” Hickey said. “I’m glad I was here not only to forecast for it but to bear witness to it and live through it.”
The snowfall turned lighter during the day, but strong winds kept blowing snowdrifts as scattered snow showers continued.
Snow piled up throughout the day, and recorded totals varied by location. Trained weather spotters recorded 15 inches of snowfall at 10:53 a.m. in Mountain Top, 19.5 inches at 11:02 a.m. in Luzerne, and 23 inches at 12:33 p.m. in Hudson, Plains Township.
In Wilkes-Barre, the mayor imposed a travel ban that went out to local media and was posted on Facebook around 2 p.m. He later declared a state of emergency in the city, which allowed the city administrator, director of operations, and the emergency management coordinator to hire contractors to help with any work needed to ensure the health and safety of city residents.
Earlier in the day, vehicles on South Main Street in Wilkes-Barre were towing sledders and snowboarders down the snowy road, and helping to tow some smaller cars that had gotten stuck from the snow.
Butch Frati, Wilkes-Barre’s director of operations, said city crews would work overnight to remove snow from city streets by loading it onto dump trucks and piling it at Coal Street Park, the Willow Street Pumping Station and beneath the Cross Valley Expressway.
Other municipalities declared states of emergency, including Nanticoke, Pittston and Plymouth Borough. The U.S. Postal Service closed post offices and suspended mail delivery in some areas.
The Luzerne County Courthouse was closed, but employees at 911 were handling calls, including stranded motorists and medic units stuck on roadways. Road and bridge crews cleared county roads and emergency management agency employees helped municipalities with snow issues.
Diane Gribble, a clerk at the Petroleum Service Company service station on South Main Street in Wilkes-Barre, was behind the counter Wednesday.
Business was different from a usual day. She mostly saw emergency vehicles, city Department of Public Works ATVs and people filling up containers for snowblowers.
After Tuesday’s storm brought a reminder of the winter’s power, the upcoming forecast remains wintry. Temperatures for the rest of the week are forecast to be below average, and Wednesday and Thursday will bring a chance of snow showers. NWS predicts lows will remain below freezing through Monday.
Flooding should not be an issue, Hickey said, because temperatures are not expected to rapidly increase and heavy rain is not in the forecast.
For now, he said, the local weather “will be keeping winter in the forefront and spring on the back burner.”
bwellock@citizensvoice.com
570-821-2051, @CVBillW
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