Cars were covered with snow Friday morning, a reminder that winter is alive and well.

The snow had largely come to an end as of early this morning, though some area school districts were on two-hour delays, and others closed.

Lehighton, Palmerton, Tamaqua, and Weatherly school districts were closed.

Northern Lehigh and Northwestern Lehigh school districts were on 2-hour delays.

Panther Valley, Jim Thorpe School District and Pleasant Valley offered virtual instruction.

In what marked the first real snowstorm of the winter, much of the area received between 2 to 4 inches of snow, said Tyler Roys, a senior meteorologist with AccuWeather.

Roys cautioned that while the majority of major highways and other streets were cleaned up, there is still the threat for roads to freeze up as temperatures dip throughout the day and into the evening hours.

“There’s going to be some melting going on; anything that is not treated by late afternoon or early evening is going to freeze, lead to icy spots later tonight into tomorrow morning,” Roys said. “It did what it was supposed to do.”

Roys noted we aren’t out of the woods just yet, as icy conditions are still expected Sunday morning.

“Areas likely to see icing last the longest is going to be more in the valleys, where it’s going to take a longer time for the cold air to erode,” he said.

Roadways

Snow-coated roads Thursday throughout the region led to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation temporarily implementing additional speed limit restrictions on area roadways.

By 9 a.m. PennDOT lifted all vehicle and speed limit restrictions that were in place on interstates and major highways across the east-central part of the state during the latest winter storm.

PennDOT will continue to treat roadways throughout the storm until precipitation stops and roads are clear, said Sean Brown, safety press officer for the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.

“We had a full complement of drivers on the roadways,” Brown said. “(Cleanup) is going well. Our drivers were out all night and will continue to (be) out there until all state roadways are cleared.”

Brown said motorists should be cognizant of PennDOT trucks while they continue with their cleanup efforts.

“Our plows are making progress, and now (that) the snow has stopped, we can finish the job and clear all state roads,” he said.