A messy day, with more to come

Dec. 23—Thursday's messy snowfall across the Wyoming Valley was just the beginning of what forecasters expect to be a "wild" weather weekend here and across many parts of the country.

Josh Hodell, chief meteorologist with our newsgathering partners at Eyewitness News WBRE/WYOU, says morning rain will change to snow today, with anywhere from a coating to 3 inches possible by the time it tapers off in the early afternoon.

But morning temperatures in the 40s will fall into the teens and 20s by this evening, with the risk of wet and slushy roads quickly becoming icy roads.

Strong wind gusts will accompany temperatures in the teens, making for a downright frigid Christmas with subzero wind chills expected.

Hodell's full forecast can be found on page 6B of today's edition, as well as on the Times Leader's Facebook page and YouTube channel.

Code Blue issued in WB

Wilkes-Barre Mayor George C. Brown announced that the city of will enact its Code Blue emergency designation beginning today and lasting through the morning of Wednesday, Dec. 28 due to the severe cold temperatures.

The Code Blue Emergency Shelter is located at the Keystone Mission, 290 Parkview Circle, Wilkes-Barre.

Officials put the designation in place when the National Weather Service forecasts temperatures of 20 degrees or below, or when there is an expected snowfall of 12 inches or more, and light a blue light on Public Square to alert homeless people that the shelter will be open.

During a Code Blue, the shelter will be open to guests beginning at 9 p.m. and will close at 7 a.m. the following morning.

People interested in volunteering to assist with the Code Blue Program or seeking more information about the program should contact Keystone Mission at 570-871-4795 Ext. 410 or via Volunteer@KeystoneMission.org.

No free skates this weekend

In a separate move, Wilkes-Barre officials announced that they will not be providing free skates this weekend at the ice-skating rink on Public Square due to the weather.

The rink will however be open to skaters who bring and wear their own skates, during normal park hours of dawn to dusk. Skaters under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult 18 years or older.

Nationwide impact

Thousands of flights were canceled and homeless shelters were overflowing Thursday amid one of the most treacherous holiday travel seasons the U.S. has seen in decades, with temperatures plummeting 50 degrees in some areas and forecasters warning of an impending "bomb cyclone" that could make conditions even worse before Christmas.

The frigid air was moving through the central United States to the east, with windchill advisories affecting about 135 million people over the coming days, weather service meteorologist Ashton Robinson Cook said Thursday. Places like Des Moines, Iowa, will feel like minus 37 degrees, making it possible to suffer frostbite in less than five minutes.

"This is not like a snow day when you were a kid," President Joe Biden warned Thursday in the Oval Office after a briefing from federal officials. "This is serious stuff."

Forecasters are expecting a bomb cyclone — when atmospheric pressure drops very quickly in a strong storm — to develop late Thursday and into Friday near the Great Lakes. That will stir up blizzard conditions, including heavy winds and snow, Cook said.

Treacherous travel conditions

More than 2,156 flights within, into or out of the U.S. had been canceled as of Thursday afternoon, according to the tracking site FlightAware. Airlines have also canceled 1,576 Friday flights. Airports in Chicago and Denver were reporting the most cancelations.

Amtrak, meanwhile, canceled service on more than 20 routes, primarily in the Midwest.

In famously snowy Buffalo, New York, forecasters predicted a "once-in-a-generation storm" because of heavy lake-effect snow, wind gusts as high as 65 mph, whiteouts and the potential for extensive power outages. Mayor Byron Brown urged people to stay home, and the NHL postponed the Buffalo Sabres' home game against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Preparing across Pa.

The Wolf Administration is urging Pennsylvanians to pay attention to weather forecasts and remain alert for rapidly changing conditions and brutal cold this holiday weekend.

Because temperatures will be very low, the potential for icy roads is high, PennDOT and the Pennsylvania State Police urge motorists to avoid travel if possible.

But that warning comes as predictions have been calling for heavy travel through the new year:

—Due to Christmas and New Year's Day falling on Sundays, the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission forecasts a very busy holiday travel period, with 5.4 million people traveling the Turnpike from today through Monday, Jan. 2.

—AAA estimates nearly 120,000 Wilkes-Barre area residents — 30% of the population — will travel 50 miles or more for the year-end holidays through Jan. 2 — an increase of 3.4% over last year and closing in on pre-pandemic levels.

—More than 8,000 Wilkes-Barre area residents will take to the skies over the holiday period, representing more than a 13% jump compared to last year, AAA predicts.

—AAA also is projecting that more than 3,500 Wilkes-Barre area residents will travel by bus, train or some other mode of transportation over the holiday period, an increase of more than 28% over last year.

For those on the roads, officials urge caution: Know the forecast, slow down, and remove snow and ice from vehicles as required by law.

Thursday's mess recalled

Those who were out and about in the valley on Thursday encountered a taste of things to come.

A steep street in Wilkes-Barre offered just one example of the chaos.

Several vehicles slid into curbs or other vehicles on a snow- and ice-covered Coal Street during the morning's snowfall. One Luzerne County Transportation Authority bus was not able to ascend the steep hill, coming to a stop partially in the right travel lane near Reno Lane.

Many vehicles traveling up the hill and stopped for the red traffic signal at North Sherman Street were observed spinning their wheels when the light turned green.

A city plow truck was seen removing snow and salting Coal Street.

By early afternoon, Wilkes-Barre Township police warned motorists that there were already 100 disabled vehicles and crashes reported throughout the county.

LCTA service was temporarily suspended until road conditions improved, with buses heading back out in the afternoon using snow routes.

Visit www.lctabus.com and www.facebook.com/lctabus for updates as conditions change.

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Contributing to this report were Roger DuPuis, Bill O'Boyle and Ed Lewis of the Times Leader, as well as The Associated Press.

Reach Bill O'Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.