Pocono weather: NWS issues winter storm warning as heavy snow expected in region

A winter storm warning will be in effect Monday evening for Monroe, Pike and Wayne counties, with significant snowfall and travel impacts expected across the Poconos.

Monroe County can expect 5 to 8 inches, according to the National Weather Service in Mount Holly, New Jersey, which adds that “Snowfall rates should reach around an inch per hour tonight. The highest snowfall totals should be at locations above 1500 feet in elevation. Some sleet may also mix in at times for portions of the area.”

The Monday evening and Tuesday morning commutes could be affected, the NWS said.

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In Pike and Wayne counties, expectations are a bit higher at 6 to 9 inches with the potential for 1.5 inches per hour Monday evening into early Tuesday, according to the NWS in Binghamton, New York.

“The combination of heavy snow and blowing snow will create hazardous travel conditions,” the Binghamton office said, citing Interstate 84 as a route likely to be affected. “The snow will be wet with a high water content...making shoveling very difficult. The snow will taper off slowly late Tuesday morning and eventually end by the afternoon.”

Additional nearby counties including Carbon, Lackawanna, Luzerne and Northampton are under a winter weather advisory.

Staying safe while shoveling heavy snow

Shoveling wet, heavy snow can be dangerous due to the stress it can put on your heart. It should be avoided by people who are over age 55 and have known or suspected heart disease, Barry Franklin told USA Today in 2020. He is the director of preventative cardiology and cardiac rehabilitation at William Beaumont Health in Royal Oak, Michigan.

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It’s best to start shoveling as it snows, and take breaks while working.

A shovel full of wet snow weighs 16 pounds on average, according to Franklin, who found that men in his study could move nearly 2,000 pounds of snow in a 10-minute period.

"That's the weight of a mid-size car," he said. "To ask a 50-, 60-, 70-year-old to move 2,000 pounds in 10 minutes in cold environmental conditions with the wind blowing, it’s not surprising that this activity triggers heart attacks and sudden death each year."

This article originally appeared on Pocono Record: Pocono weather: Heavy snow expected in Monroe, Wayne, Pike counties