The official overnight low was minus-8 degrees at the airport. Accu-Weather's Joe Lundberg says conditions were perfect for an extremely cold night. "We've got snow on the ground, clear skies, arctic air mass and little wind and that's a perfect recipe for perfect radiational cooling last night. That why we saw these insanely cold readings this morning," Lundberg says. While minus-8 is incredibly cold, it wasn't a record-setting cold. The record low for January 22 is minus-12 degrees in 1961.
It's another Operation Snowflake day thanks to the extremely cold temperatures. Many local schools are operating on a two hour delay today. You can get the complete list of delays and cancellations by entering the keyword 'snowflake'.
The first two U.S. Capitol rioters released following President Trump's Monday pardons are from the Poconos. "Just a few hours after President Trump signed the pardon orders, Andrew Valentin and Matthew Valentin were released from their DC jail," says White House liaison to the Justice Department Paul Ingrassia. He says the Stroudsburg brothers were released Monday night from a Washington DC jail. The two pleaded guilty in September to multiple felony charges, including assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers. The brothers were sentenced last Friday to 2½ years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, but now are free.
More than 100 Pennsylvania residents are getting pardons from President Trump after being convicted of crimes related to the January 6th riots in Washington. The citizens had pleaded guilty to or were found guilty of various misdemeanors and felonies in federal court for their involvement in the Capitol riot in 2021.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro is among lawmakers condemning President Trump's blanket pardons for January 6th participants. The governor said it "doesn't sit right" with him that the president pardoned people convicted of assaulting police officers. Shapiro added that he doesn't believe it "sits right with a lot of Americans."
A fire destroyed a Forks Township home Tuesday. The fire broke out around 11:30 Tuesday morning in the 2700 block of Hickory Drive. Six different fire departments responded to the blaze. There have been no injuries reported. 4 people and their pets had to evacuate the home.
Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure says he will not run for a third term. McClure's decision comes just three months after reaffirming he was planning to run for re-election. If he stayed in the race and won, McClure would have been the last three-term Northampton County Executive. The county voted in 2023 to impose a two-term limit on the office, which takes effect next year.
Tuesday afternoon was swearing in day for Pennsylvania's auditor general, treasurer and the state's new attorney general Dave Sunday. "The trust placed in me today is not one I take lightly. The role of the attorney general carries with it the duty to protect and serve and ensure that justice is upheld, that the rule of law is respected and that every individual, regardless of background or circumstances, is treated with respect, fairness and dignity," Sunday said. Auditor General Timothy DeFoor was also sworn in for his second terms in office and credited his parents for steering him to his career path. "We would talk about government, how it works, what it does for families like ours and what government was supposed to do with our tax dollars. Because of those early conversations, I knew that someday I wanted to investigate government fraud, waste, abuse and prevent it," DeFoor said. Treasurer Stacy Garrity has officially begun her second term as well. "I promise you I will always be a treasurer you will be proud of and it is my pledge I will make change where it is needed, to honor cherished traditions and principles and to live that I spoke, hand on my grandmother's bible a few moments ago," Garrity said after taking the oath.
Ice has begun to pile up on area rivers, leading to an increased risk of flooding. Ice is now visible on not only the Allegheny River but also the Monongahela and the Ohio Rivers. The National Weather Service says this is the greatest amount of ice that has been seen on the rivers in six years. Analysts say flooding behind the ice upstream can pose a risk for local communities.