The Lehigh Valley is still cleaning up, a week after a storm brought the area its biggest snowfall in years.
While the region should avoid any additional wintry precipitation this weekend as a nor’easter passes off the East Coast, the persistent cold temperatures are complicating things for public works crews, who have been clearing snow and ice from roads.
Bethlehem public works director Michael Alkhal said in normal storms of this magnitude — ones that bring a foot or more of snow — crews get relief in the days that follow as the snow melts. But temperatures have not gotten anywhere close to above freezing in the days since last Sunday’s storm, and so the piles of snow, as well as any ice that formed, are not melting.
Plows and salt trucks may clear a road at night, only for ice to start forming again a short time later.
“We have to just be patient with these conditions,” Alkhal said. On Thursday, public works crews had just transitioned from 12-hour shifts to 8-hour ones for the first time since the storm, but there was still plenty of work to do.
In Bethlehem, workers started clearing out metered parking areas on streets in the downtown business district. The snow being removed is taken to Sand Island.
“We keep going as long as conditions are what they are,” he said.
Public works officials in Bethlehem and Allentown said their efforts have been complicated by people throwing snow back onto roadways. Crews then have to return to those areas to the clear them again.
“We ask that people avoid throwing it in the street as much as possible,” Alkhal said.
Allentown city spokesperson Chelsea Koerbler said snow being thrown on the roads has slowed operations, and in some cases required crews to revisit the same areas multiple times. The city’s snow removal operations will continue into next week, she said.
Workers from the Allentown Public Works Department clear snow from Seventh Street on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026, in Allentown. (Amy Shortell/The Morning Call)
Workers from the Allentown Public Works Department clear snow from Seventh Street on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026, in Allentown. (Amy Shortell/The Morning Call)
Workers from the Allentown Public Works Department clear snow from Seventh Street on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026, in Allentown. (Amy Shortell/The Morning Call)
Workers from the Allentown Public Works Department clear snow from Seventh Street on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026, in Allentown. (Amy Shortell/The Morning Call)
Workers from the Allentown Public Works Department clear snow from Seventh Street on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026, in Allentown. (Amy Shortell/The Morning Call)
Workers from the Allentown Public Works Department clear snow from Seventh Street on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026, in Allentown. (Amy Shortell/The Morning Call)
Workers from the Allentown Public Works Department clear snow from Seventh Street on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026, in Allentown. (Amy Shortell/The Morning Call)
Workers from the Allentown Public Works Department clear snow from Seventh Street on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026, in Allentown. (Amy Shortell/The Morning Call)
Workers from the Allentown Public Works Department clear snow from Seventh Street on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026, in Allentown. (Amy Shortell/The Morning Call)
Workers from the Allentown Public Works Department clear snow from Seventh Street on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026, in Allentown. (Amy Shortell/The Morning Call)
Workers from the Allentown Public Works Department clear snow from Seventh Street on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026, in Allentown. (Amy Shortell/The Morning Call)
Workers from the Allentown Public Works Department clear snow from Seventh Street on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026, in Allentown. (Amy Shortell/The Morning Call)
Workers from the Allentown Public Works Department clear snow from Seventh Street on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026, in Allentown. (Amy Shortell/The Morning Call)
Workers from the Allentown Public Works Department clear snow from Seventh Street on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026, in Allentown. (Amy Shortell/The Morning Call)
Workers from the Allentown Public Works Department clear snow from Seventh Street on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026, in Allentown. (Amy Shortell/The Morning Call)
Workers from the Allentown Public Works Department clear snow from Seventh Street on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026, in Allentown. (Amy Shortell/The Morning Call)
Workers from the Allentown Public Works Department clear snow from Seventh Street on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026, in Allentown. (Amy Shortell/The Morning Call)
Workers from the Allentown Public Works Department clear snow from Seventh Street on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026, in Allentown. (Amy Shortell/The Morning Call)
Workers from the Allentown Public Works Department clear snow from Seventh Street on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026, in Allentown. (Amy Shortell/The Morning Call)
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Workers from the Allentown Public Works Department clear snow from Seventh Street on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026, in Allentown. (Amy Shortell/The Morning Call)
Allentown crews were addressing clearing secondary streets and alleys first. They are planning on removing snow on street sweeping routes in District 9, which covers Center City, beginning Monday morning. They are also helping to clear out snow near Allentown School District buildings. The district turned to virtual learning the entire week due to poor road and sidewalk conditions.
There was no timeline for when snow removal might be completed.
Excess snow is being dumped at designated sites in Allentown that are not open to the public or contractors. Once the snow melts, the public works department will return to clean the area.
Koerbler said residents can help by shoveling sidewalks adjacent to their property and clearing at least a 3-foot-wide path. They can also help by removing snow and ice from vehicles. Anyone having issues with snow should call the city’s snow hotline at 610-437-7669.
A number of other Lehigh Valley municipalities were also expecting lengthy cleanups following the storm.
On social media, Palmer Township said it was planning snow removal for a few streets Monday. Bath has been posting cleanup routes throughout the week. Bangor police and Easton posted that snow cleanup would be ongoing through the remainder of next week in those communities.
Last Sunday’s storm dropped 11.8 inches of snow in the Lehigh Valley — with some spots getting even higher amounts — breaking the record for Jan. 25 set in 1988 of 10.4 inches. January was the snowiest January in years at 20.8 inches, the majority of which fell over just two weekends.
While the Lehigh Valley is expected to escape this weekend’s coastal storm, forecasters are looking at another system that could impact the region mid-week.