Plow trucks removed snow from local roads in Hatfield Township and across Montgomery County on Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. (Photo courtesy of Hatfield Township)
Cleanup operations continued Monday morning after a powerful winter storm blanketed Montgomery County with snow, sleet and ice over the weekend.
Sunday’s storm began with snow, with rates at times reaching 1 to 2 inches per hour, according to Paul Fitzsimmons, lead meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Mount Holly, New Jersey office. The “moderate to heavy” snow transitioned to sleet starting to mix in throughout the midday and afternoon, which continued basically into the evening before the precipitation wound down by evening.
Winter Storm Fern was closely watched in the days leading up to the weather event as it impacted hundreds of thousands of people across multiple states. The amount of snow accumulation varied from town to town.
“It was certainly one of the more significant storms we’ve seen in recent years,” Fitzsimmons said Monday morning.
Montgomery County precipitation totals ranged across the county with some places reaching more than 1 foot of snow, according to the National Weather Service’s Mount Holly, New Jersey office. Early totals from trained spotters showed 12.2 inches in Skippack, 10.5 inches each in New Hanover Township and Norristown, 10 inches in Trappe, and 9 inches in Lower Salford Township. Eagleville, as well as Whitpain and Worcester townships recorded 8 inches of snow.
Fitzsimmons noted the county’s snowfall was significant, but acknowledged “we’ve seen worse” compared to blizzards that have pummeled the area in past years.
“I would say it’s not really that uncommon for Montgomery County to get 8-to-12 inches,” Fitzsimmons said. “It doesn’t happen every year, but … it’s more common inland [in a] place like Montgomery County than it is in the coastal plain where conditions are more likely to change to rain.”
A Second Storm
The area will experience bitterly cold conditions over the next few days with the National Weather Service forecasting “temperatures in the 10s and 20s during the daytime and single digits to below zero at night through the weekend.” In addition to temperatures, a report from the National Weather Service stated that “dangerously cold wind chills between -15° and 0° are expected to return, leading to an increased risk of hypothermia and frostbite.”
“With the really cold temperatures, things are really going to be pretty frozen, so it’s going to … make snow and ice removal challenging for sure because we’re gonna be well below freezing,” Fitzsimmons said. “And really for this next week, we’re going to be looking at temperatures below freezing, so the snow and ice are gonna be sticking around …”
Meteorologists added in their report that the Cold Weather Advisory could be extended or upgraded to an Extreme Cold Warning for Wednesday night and/or Thursday night.
In addition to frigid conditions, meteorologists acknowledged more snow could be on the way.
“We are watching another potential storm for next weekend, but it’s just really too early to really know for sure whether that’s going to impact us, but just something we’re watching,” Fitzsimmons said.
Stay tuned, and keep those shovels handy.
County emergencies
The storm prompted more than 1,800 calls into the Montgomery County Department of Public Safety’s Emergency Operations Center over a 36-hour period, according to Montgomery County Communications Director Megan Alt. Of those, dispatches included 185 disabled vehicles, 60 vehicle crashes, and 20 road hazard-related incidents.
Transportation officials had cautioned people from driving during the storm as the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and other agencies cleared major thoroughfares on Sunday and Monday.
“From what we saw, many people did stay home, which is great, and we appreciate that both for the safety of motorists and the safety of our operators,” said Helen Reinbrecht, community relations coordinator for PennDOT District 6.
Reinbrecht said Monday morning that “the major roads are looking pretty good. Some of the secondary roads still need to be cleared, but … the crews are still out there."
There were 23 plow trucks and salt spreaders deployed across the 75 miles of Montgomery County-owned roads, with around 500 tons used over 184 snow-lane miles, according to Alt.
While PennDOT vehicle and speed restrictions were lifted as of Monday morning, Reinbrecht encouraged motorists to avoid travel while clean-up operations continue.
“If they absolutely have to go out, reduce their speed, give other drivers extra space. We continue to ask drivers to give snowplows at least 6 feet of distance,” Reinbrecht said.
Local impacts
Government offices, facilities and school districts were closed Monday due to the storm.
In Bridgeport, Borough Manager Keith Truman estimated between 9.5-to-10.5 inches of accumulation, which included snow, sleet and ice.
“There are always minor traffic and safety concerns when dealing with snowfall of this magnitude in a densely settled community like Bridgeport. However, so far we’ve been fortunate to not have any emergencies stemming from the weather,” Truman told MediaNews Group.
The borough’s Public Works Department worked throughout the storm to clear roads and now turned their attention to snow removal from alleys, bump outs and parking lots, Truman said.
“Once this has been accomplished, they’ll move onto clearing snow from the corners of neighborhood intersections, which is typically where we expect to see excess snow deposited by both plows and residents,” Truman said in a statement.
“And finally, they’ll come through and coordinate with residents to move their vehicles block by block, so that on-street parking spaces can be cleared to the best of our abilities,” Truman continued, urging area residents to “create shared communal snow piles when cleaning themselves out.” Truman recommended they “not throw snow into the street, as it will be pushed back in as a wind row the next time the plows take a pass through their block.”
Code Blue
Montgomery County remains under a Code Blue emergency weather declaration through Wednesday. Montgomery County operates nine Code Blue shelters, and those in need of assistance during periods of inclement weather should contact the Your Way Home call center at 610-278-3522 for more information.
While a women’s shelter located in Lansdale was closed over the weekend, Alt said that the county’s nine temporary facilities “are open or providing emergency hoteling” services as the Code Blue shelters “continue to be actively utilized.”
“It’s still too soon to report final numbers from the recent storm, but our providers were able to meet the need and ensure that everyone who sought shelter had a safe place to go,” Alt said in a statement to MediaNews Group.
With bitter conditions in the forecast for much of the week, Alt stressed county officials “are maintaining our enhanced response,” which will focus on outreach to reach individuals experiencing homelessness and help coordinate services for temporary shelter.
“Each shelter has a defined capacity, but if any site reaches capacity—or if a location must temporarily close — we immediately activate our emergency hotel protocol, so no one is turned away,” Alt said. “Our priority is ensuring that every person has access to a warm, safe place during this cold weather.”
Meteorologists urged people to “use caution while traveling outside” and “wear appropriate clothing” as the region. A Cold Weather Advisory issued by the National Weather Service is in effect until 10 a.m. Wednesday.
