PennDOT preparing for first wintry weather of the season in northern counties

ALLENTOWN (WTXF) - They're back for another season. Plows hitting the streets across the Lehigh Valley and up into the Poconos after a light snowfall today and the potential for a wintery mix overnight.

74 trucks in Lehigh and Northampton counties, as well Berks will run through the night.

Sean Brown with PennDOT said, "What we'll do now is we'll lay down mostly salt, sometimes, a salt, anti-skid mixture which is sand, a little pebbles, help with the grip, but a lot of the salt helps to keep the road from icing up."

"This area, we are ready for snow, anytime. We've been through this once or twice. Exactly, a few times. The last two years, We've had some terrible snows, so as long as it doesn't come all at once, we're good," Lisa Hartzell from Schnecksville said.

People have been slipping and sliding.

Alex Bentley from Kunkletown said, "Down over in Kunkletown, where I live, there was some snow. Coming down a little bit, a little bit of rain. A little slippery? Yeah, it was slippery."

Plow Drivers in the Allentown area are now on 12 hours shifts, working until the weather clears.

This won't be a major storm by any stretch, but when it comes to driving, it could be a misleading one.

"If we have a lot of snow, a foot of snow, people avoid travel, you know it. But with a situation like this, where it doesn't look too bad, drivers are still gonna be out there, unfortunately maybe driving not the safest for conditions."

Donna Harper, the attendant at Weis Gas 'N Go, has already seen some close calls.

"Because people are not used to it, used to that summer driving, they don't slow down so much. We stand here and go -- are they gonna hit the other guy or not?"

And the best way to avoid it is to not be in it.

"They're predicting at least between 11 and midnight that we're gonna get hit hard again, and we sure hope we're gonna get home before then," Harper said.