I arrived for work early Monday morning, expecting to have snow duty. There was one problem. It wasn't snowing. My coworkers and I scoured internet reports and observations. We looked at PennDOT traffic cams. The worst problem, it appeared, was in northern Susquehanna County. That's where reporter Elizabeth Worthington was dispatched.
I hung at the office and worked on an income tax story.
Then, a turn for the worse.
Cold air came in. The rain turned to ice and snow. Roads slicked up. A rash of crashes. Schools that had been on delays threw in the towel and closed for the day. I finished my income tax story, then headed to the high elevations of Lackawanna County, specifically Jefferson Township and the Mount Cobb interchange with Interstate 84.
The ride was not easy. Photographer Jason was the calm and steady hand behind the wheel. We saw one crash in front of us where 81 and 380 join. There was another directly behind us. The road looked wet. It was actually ice.
We made it to Jefferson Township and set up to go live during Newswatch 16 This Morning. I usually avoid the shots close to interstates, favoring urban locations. They are simply lit better and are more visual.
This one was different. It's a busy interchange, even at 5:00 am. Plus, Mother Nature left a visual aid to show we had freezing rain. You can see the icicles hanging from the road signs. Show and tell. That's TV.
The ride back to the home office was mush easier than the journey in the opposite direction. It was a stark reminder there is still plenty of winter left.
