The first measurable snow of the winter season accumulated 2 to 5 inches across most of Eastern Pennsylvania. Some locally higher amounts occurred in the higher terrain including the Poconos while only an inch or less accumulated in Philadelphia and Delaware Counties. The accumulations were elevation driven as higher terrain locations had more than nearby valleys. The heaviest accumulations occurred on non-paved surfaces, bridges and overpasses.
In southeastern Pennsylvania and Berks County, precipitation started as rain around 6 a.m. EST on the 5th along the Delaware and Maryland border and slowly spread north during the morning. The rain changed to snow in most places by early afternoon except near Philadelphia where that occurred during the afternoon. When the precipitation intensity decreased during the evening, the snow changed back to rain in and around Philadelphia. Precipitation ended by Midnight EST that evening. Across the Lehigh Valley and the Poconos, the snow began during the early afternoon and fell at its heaviest during the middle and late afternoon. The snow ended that evening.
Snowfall included 6.5 inches in Tobyhanna (Monroe County) and Zionsville (Lehigh County), 6.0 inches in Springtown (Bucks County), 5.9 inches in Palmerton (Carbon County), 5.6 inches in Mohnton (Berks County), 5.0 inches in Chapman (Carbon County), 4.5 inches in Jim Thorpe (Carbon County), 4.0 inches in Schnecksville (Lehigh County), Perkasie (Bucks County) and Walnutport (Northampton County), 3.8 inches in Emmaus (Lehigh County), 3.7 inches at the Lehigh Valley international Airport, 3.2 inches in Souderton (Montgomery County), 3.0 inches in Harleysville (Montgomery County) and Nazareth (Northampton County), 2.9 inches in Stroudsburg (Monroe County), 2.5 inches in Pennsburg and Fricks (Bucks County), 1.3 inches in Abington (Montgomery County), 1.0 inch in the Somerton section of Philadelphia, 0.8 inches in Wynnewood (Montgomery County) and 0.5 inches in Drexel Hill (Delaware County).
The precipitation was caused by a low pressure system that formed off the North Carolina coastal waters during the early morning of the 5th. The low moved rapidly northeast and at 7 p.m. EST on the 5th was already about 200 miles east of Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Winter Weather in MONROE, PENNSYLVANIA
From 05-DEC-09 13:00:00 to 05-DEC-09 21:00:00 (EST-5)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Mesonet

Winter Weather in MONTGOMERY, PENNSYLVANIA
From 05-DEC-09 12:00:00 to 05-DEC-09 22:00:00 (EST-5)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Mesonet

Winter Weather in NORTHAMPTON, PENNSYLVANIA
From 05-DEC-09 12:00:00 to 05-DEC-09 21:00:00 (EST-5)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Mesonet

Winter Weather in BUCKS, PENNSYLVANIA
From 05-DEC-09 12:00:00 to 05-DEC-09 23:00:00 (EST-5)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Mesonet

Winter Weather in BERKS, PENNSYLVANIA
From 05-DEC-09 12:00:00 to 05-DEC-09 21:00:00 (EST-5)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Mesonet

Winter Weather in CARBON, PENNSYLVANIA
From 05-DEC-09 13:00:00 to 05-DEC-09 21:00:00 (EST-5)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Mesonet

Winter Weather in CHESTER, PENNSYLVANIA
From 05-DEC-09 10:00:00 to 05-DEC-09 22:00:00 (EST-5)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Mesonet

Winter Weather in LEHIGH, PENNSYLVANIA
From 05-DEC-09 12:00:00 to 05-DEC-09 21:00:00 (EST-5)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Mesonet