c“It started early Sunday, with the heaviest snow from about 8 a.m. until 3 p.m., with 1 to 2 inches per hour at times,” said Adam Douty, a senior meteorologist with AccuWeather.

According to records of The National Weather Service, about 14.2 inches fell in Germansville, 12.5 inches in New Tripoli, 13.9 inches in Washington Township and 10.8 inches in Weisenberg Township.

Douty said the highs Tuesday through Saturday are expected to be in the middle to upper teens, and added each night lows will be down close to zero, if not below zero.

“An impressively cold stretch,” he said. “This week nothing significant, at least through the weekend. It doesn’t look like much of any accumulation.”

However, Douty cautioned there is the potential for a storm developing along the East Coast this weekend, perhaps even a Nor’easter.

“Either way there is the potential for Saturday into Sunday,” he said. “With temperatures the way they are, it’s more likely going to be snow.”

Sean Brown, PennDOT spokesperson, said as of 7:30 a.m. cleanup efforts were going well.

“Crews have been putting in many shifts, but they are getting the job done. During the height of the storm, interstate and expressways receive increased attention, but all state roadways are getting plowed.”

Brown added, “Now that the storm has passed we are able to clear all our roadways. The cleanup is ongoing.

“We will have folks out there until all state roadways are clear. With a heavy storm like this, we have a full complement of drivers and we call in rental trucks to assist with the storm.”

The Lehigh County Coroner’s Office & Forensics Center has reported that three deaths occurred Sunday in association with snow shoveling and snow removal activity.

The decedents ranged in age from 60 to 84 years old.

In each case, the people were reportedly engaged in snow shoveling or snow cleanup efforts before experiencing a medical emergency, according to Lehigh County Coroner Daniel A. Buglio.

Following investigation, Buglio said the manner of death in all three cases has been ruled natural.

“I remind the public to use caution when shoveling snow, take frequent breaks, stay hydrated, avoid overexertion, and seek assistance when possible, especially individuals with a history of heart disease or other medial concerns,” Buglio said.

Out of respect to the families, no additional information is being released at this time, Buglio said.

The Press reached out Jan. 26 to Heidelberg Township Administrator Dawn Didra, CZO, for comment on how Heidelberg prepared and is dealing with the aftermath of Fern.

“During Winter Storm Fern, Heidelberg Township’s five-member road crew (Kevin, Daniel, Terry, Todd, and Travis) worked tirelessly to keep roads open and safe. With limited personnel and equipment, the crew cleared township roads after every four inches of snow, taking short breaks before heading back out as the storm continued,” Didra said.

She said before the storm, Emergency Management, the fire chief, and the road superintendent met to plan and coordinate response efforts.

“Emergency Management continued to monitor conditions throughout the storm and remained on standby to address any unmet needs,” Didra said. “Equipment was prepared in advance, and grab-and-go meals were provided to support the long hours on the road. The road crew responded to every fire company call, clearing the fire company lot and leading emergency vehicles to ensure a safe path to each emergency.”

Didra added the board of supervisors stood ready to declare a snow emergency and disaster declaration to help keep emergency routes clear and remove obstacles to funding if additional recovery resources were needed.

“Heidelberg Township thanks the road crew for their dedication and thanks residents for staying off the roads when possible and helping neighbors during the storm,” Didra said.

The Press also reached out to Lowhill Township and Jeremy Schaller, Emergency Management coordinator.

He said that before the storm’s arrival in the Lehigh Valley, the Public Works team inspected and outfitted their trucks with plows and salt, reviewed their routes with our part-time winter maintenance employees, and stocked up on supplies, such as fuel additives to keep the trucks running during the intense cold temperatures that were expected.

“On Saturday, before the storm’s beginning, Gov. Josh Shapiro issued a proclamation of disaster emergency for the state due to the impending dangerous weather conditions. At that time, Lowhill Township enacted its own declaration of disaster emergency, which was posted to the township’s website,” Schaller said. “By declaring a local emergency, the township is able to more quickly respond to any issues that arrived from the storm, activate our emergency plans as necessary, and get resources to our residents as they need them.”

Schaller said he also spent Saturday monitoring the storm with Lehigh County’s Emergency Management Agency and emergency management coordinators from the township’s neighboring municipalities.

“While the township did accumulate between 12 inches and 14 inches of snow, we thankfully haven’t received any reports of damage from our residents,” he said. “However, if resident’s have been impacted by storm related damages, they are encouraged to contact the township, or report the damages to Lehigh County EMA at https://crisistrack.juvare.com/public/lehighPA/request.html.”

While everyone is still working on the clean up from Fern, Lowhill Township will be getting to work preparing for the next storm, which will hopefully wait a bit before occurring, Schaller said.