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Snow, sleet mix blusters into region, threatening drivers

A wintry mix of rain, sleet, and snow predicted for parts of the Philadelphia region Sunday could create problems for commuters in the early hours of Monday during the morning rush.

A wintry mix of rain, sleet, and snow predicted for parts of the Philadelphia region Sunday could create problems for commuters in the early hours of Monday during the morning rush.

The National Weather Service in Mount Holly expects little or no accumulation, especially in Philadelphia and south and east of the city before the changeover to rain, as temperatures rise to a high of 47 degrees from the low 30s in the normally cold spots.

North and west of the city could be a different story.

A winter weather advisory was in effect overnight until 4 a.m. for parts of Bucks, Chester, and Montgomery Counties, including Pottstown, Norristown, and Doylestown, calling for one inch of snow and a trace of ice before the changeover.

By Sunday afternoon, PennDot began preparing roads in anticipation of bad weather.

Snow began falling by midafternoon in Wilkes-Barre, and was expected to change over to freezing rain and then rain by Monday morning.

In New Jersey, the counties of Morris, Sussex, western Passaic, and Warren could see 3 to 5 inches of snow, while predicted accumulations ranged from up to 1 inch in Mercer and Middlesex to up to 3 inches in Hunterdon and Somerset.

The New Jersey Department of Transportation issued speed restrictions on the Garden State Parkway and the New Jersey Turnpike to accommodate salting operations.

Snow accumulations in the far northern and western areas of Pennsylvania will probably end up in the 2-to-4-inch range, while 1 to 2 inches could fall over the Reading and Allentown areas, the weather service said.

On Monday, forecasters said, rain should end before 1 p.m. over the area. The Tuesday forecast calls for mostly sun and 43 degrees - slightly below the seasonal average of 46 degrees.

In the extended forecast through Saturday, forecasters said temperatures would be below normal, with a chance of snow or snow mixed with rain on Wednesday and Wednesday night, Friday night, Saturday, and Sunday.

Below-normal temperatures since Thursday prompted Philadelphia to issue a Code Blue alert on Dec. 8 that was to have expired at 6 a.m. Monday.

A Code Blue is called when the weather service predicts a wind-chill temperature of 20 degrees or below or precipitation with temperatures below 32 degrees.

Those who see people in need of shelter should call Project HOME at 215-232-1984.

aheavens@phillynews.com

215-854-2472@alheavens