BETHLEHEM, Pa. \u2014 The winter storm that prompted dire forecasts and a statewide disaster declaration largely fizzled in the Lehigh Valley.<\/p>\n
It left the area with only moderate-to-light snowfall by Monday morning \u2014 far short of what forecasters warned could be coming.<\/p>\n
Roads across Lehigh and Northampton counties were mostly wet or lightly slushy for the Monday commute, and snow totals generally amounted to more nuisance than monster storm.<\/p>\n
By midnight,4.8 inches of snow had fallen at Lehigh Valley International Airport<\/a>. The storm didn\u2019t add much more by 5 a.m., with the airport reporting a \u2018trace\u2019 of snow at one-hour checkpoints throughout the night.<\/p>\n Some of the higher totals reported also were in the usual elevated locations. <\/p>\n Salisbury Township had 6.3 inches at 12:20 a.m. to lead the way in Lehigh County, while Nazareth reported 5.6 inches in Northampton County.<\/p>\n Overall, much of the area escaped the significant snowfall state officials had predicted for eastern Pennsylvania as the storm tracked farther south and east. <\/p>\n Parts of Bucks County, including Tullytown and Fairless Hills, reported 18 inches.<\/p>\n Ahead of the system, Gov. Josh Shapiro signed a disaster emergency proclamation Sunday, citing forecasts that showed heavy snow for southeastern and northeastern Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n Those projections called for as much as 18 to 24 inches of snow in the Philadelphia region, with the Lehigh Valley and Poconos also expected to see disruptive totals. <\/p>\n Instead, the storm\u2019s most intense snowfall spared the Valley from major impacts.<\/p>\n Crews prepared, but little plowing needed locally<\/p>\n The disaster declaration let state agencies shift personnel and equipment quickly if conditions deteriorated. <\/p>\n PennDOT had pre-treated roads and staged crews across eastern Pennsylvania, including the Lehigh Valley, and warned residents to avoid unnecessary travel.<\/p>\n \u201cWe ask for cooperation from the public, as they did during the last major storm, by staying home unless travel is absolutely necessary,\u201d PennDOT Secretary Michael Carroll said during Sunday\u2019s briefing. <\/p>\n \u201cThis allows our team to carry out their around-the-clock mission safely and effectively throughout the storm.\u201d<\/p>\n Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton all declared snow emergencies over the weekend so cars could be removed from snow emergency routes.<\/p>\n