BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Weather was the main culprit for thousands of power outages that spanned the region early Tuesday.
With overnight wind gusts peaking near 50 mph in the Lehigh Valley, PPL Electric reported more than 8,000 customers without power across its service area just after 5 a.m.
That included about 545 customers in Lehigh County and 415 in Northampton County, with the bulk of the outages in Bucks County.
Met-Ed reported nearly 6,500 outages in its service areas, but just 22 were in the Lehigh Valley.
A wind advisory remains in effect until 1 p.m. Tuesday for west winds 20-30 mph, with gusts up to 50 mph across the region.
An end-of-year chill
Earlier Monday, the National Weather Service said it had one of the strongest temperature gradients it will ever see in the region, with widespread 50s in southern New Jersey and 30s in northern New Jersey.
At one point, the temperature changed 10 degrees in less than two miles, the weather service reported on X.
Earlier today, we had one of the strongest temperature gradients we ever see in our region, with widespread 50s in south NJ and 30s in north NJ. At one point the temperature changed 10 degrees in less than 2 miles! All that's been blown away now that the cold front has passed. pic.twitter.com/0IXgqK50IF
— NWS Mount Holly (@NWS_MountHolly) December 29, 2025
Things quickly changed as a strong cold front passed through the region, with snow squalls also dropping a quick coating in some areas overnight, including parts of the Lehigh Valley.
Forecasters say westerly winds will remain steady Tuesday morning at 15 to 25 mph, with gusts of 30 to 40 mph.
“After sunrise, winds will increase even more, with steady winds of 20 to 30 mph and gusts reaching 40 to 50 mph," the latest forecast discussion said.
"Winds will ease somewhat this afternoon but will remain gusty.”
A little snow for New Year’s Eve?
Wednesday is expected to be chilly, with highs in the low 30s during the day. But late Wednesday night into early Thursday, another cold front will move through, forecasters say, touching off scattered snow showers in some areas.
Snow may even reach parts of the I-95 corridor, including northern Delaware, the weather service said, with light accumulation possible, especially in the Poconos.
“Areas south of I-78 are expected to see little to no accumulation. Overnight lows will be in the teens in the coldest spots and low to mid-20s elsewhere,” the forecast discussion said.
