ALLENTOWN, Pa. - An arctic air mass that has produced a deep freeze across the Lehigh Valley the past three days is getting ready to head out.
Christmas Day temperatures Sunday afternoon reached the mid 20s, and temperatures Monday will climb near 30 degrees. It's the warmest temperatures since the mercury plunged Friday, sending the region into a deep freeze and knocking out power to thousands.
- About 500 Met-Ed customers remain without power in the Lehigh Valley
- An arctic air mass that has dominated the weather is moving out
- Much warmer temperatures are forecast by midweek
A few hundred customers in the Lehigh Valley remained without power Sunday morning, but those customers were back online later in the day. A line of power trucks was spotted parked along Route 378 North in Bethlehem on Sunday afternoon as part of restoration efforts.
MORE: The challenges of winter storm forecasting
Temperatures will drop tonight again into the teens, according to the National Weather Service, but the arctic air mass that has dominated the weather is lifting to the north and northeast.
For the last days of 2022, and the first day of 2023 expect mostly tranquil conditions w/ a warming trend. Slight chance for snow showers tonight in the southern Poconos and Northwest New Jersey (no snow accumulation is expected). #PAWX #NJWX #DEWX #MDWX pic.twitter.com/IMgawXtxDY
— NWS Mount Holly (@NWS_MountHolly) December 26, 2022
Tuesday will see a high of 35 in the Allentown area, according to the weather service forecast. Wednesday is expected to be sunny with a high of 42, and temperatures will rise into the 40s by the middle of the week.
By Friday, most of the region’s temperatures will reach into the 50s by the weekend. A low-pressure system will bring the chance of widespread precipitation for the New Year’s holiday weekend, pushing temperatures near 60 degrees by New Year's Day.
