BETHLEHEM, Pa. \u2014 Chances are increasing that the Lehigh Valley will experience one of its biggest winter storms in years between late Saturday and early Monday.<\/p>\n
The heavy snow will be accompanied by bitter cold and could cause major disruptions to travel, schools and businesses, officials said.<\/p>\n
The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm watch in effect from late Saturday night through Monday afternoon warning of \u201csignificant snow accumulations.\u201d<\/p>\n
The aftermath will include a stretch of below-normal temperatures likely to continue through all of next week, forecasters say.<\/p>\n
The storm<\/p>\n
Snow totals reaching double digits are not just plausible, but extremely likely, experts said.<\/p>\n
In a briefing package released early Thursday<\/a>, the weather service put the low-end amount expected in the Lehigh Valley around 8 inches.<\/p>\n A \u201creasonable worst case\u201d (or 1-in-10 chance) would see the area receive as much as 21 inches of snow.<\/p>\n It is likely to be the largest storm for the Allentown area since 22.4 inches of snow fell on Feb 1, 2021, at Lehigh Valley International Airport; other parts of the region saw more than 30 inches.<\/p>\n The powerful storm will arrive after Arctic air sweeps from the Plains to the Mid-Atlantic, once again sending temperatures into the teens on Saturday.<\/p>\n As the storm barrels northeastward toward the cold air, it\u2019s expected to drop moderate to heavy snow, while farther south, ice is expected to spread from Texas to Georgia and into the Carolinas.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you remain all snow out of this event, you\u2019re probably getting 12 to 18 inches of snow.”<\/p>\n Meteorologist Bobby Martrich of EPAWA Weather Consulting<\/p>\n Likely arrival time in the Lehigh Valley will be after midnight, in the very early hours of Sunday morning, meteorologist Bobby Martrich of EPAWA Weather Consulting said.<\/p>\n Martrich said the storm might fight dry air at the start, but \u201conce we get to Sunday morning, the intensity is going to pick up.\u201d<\/p>\n He said the key to the storm will be high pressure locking in the cold air.<\/p>\n \u201cIf this weakens too fast or pulls out [to the north and east] too fast, you\u2019re going to have warm air advection a little bit further north.\u201d<\/p>\n That would mean some areas could see snow mix with or change to sleet.<\/p>\n \u201cWe don\u2019t know where that\u2019s going to be just yet,\u201d Martrich said in his latest video update.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you remain all snow out of this event, you\u2019re probably getting 12 to 18 inches of snow,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Officials: Prepare now<\/p>\n Sunday\u2019s storm and expected snow totals are not the only concern. <\/p>\n Colder temperatures cause significantly higher electricity usage, and officials say they stand ready to respond if outages occur.<\/p>\n The region\u2019s transmission organization, PJM Interconnection, shared that its forecast peak electric usage for Wednesday was 135,004 MW at 7 a.m., with a total scheduled capacity of 165,050 MW.<\/p>\n The Allentown area hit -9 degrees early Wednesday, its coldest low temperature in exactly 32 years, when it was -15 on Jan. 21, 1994.<\/p>\n PPL Electric is urging its customers to be prepared for any outages \u2014 especially during colder temperatures \u2014 by putting together emergency kits with non-perishable food, water, medication, first aid and pet supplies.<\/p>\n Kits should include batteries and battery-operated flashlights, and customers are urged to charge phones and other devices prior to the storm.<\/p>\n PennDOT goes green<\/p>\n Your #PAWinter<\/a> Driving To-Do List: This year, you may see green warning lights on our vehicles. If you do, slow down & increase following distance. \ud83d\udea8<\/p>\n Get the latest winter road conditions: https:\/\/t.co\/zNnFMs1fvq<\/a>. pic.twitter.com\/797qPGxU14<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 PA Department of Transportation (@PennDOTNews) January 20, 2026<\/a> <\/p>\n To increase the visibility of its trucks and plows this winter, the state Department of Transportation will use amber and green warning lights while operating on state roadways.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you see our lights, please slow down and increase following distance,\u201d it said on social media, with messaging urging drivers to slow down, put phones away and avoid all distractions.<\/p>\n
Slow down \u2705
Put your phone away \u2705
Avoid all distractions \u2705<\/p>\n