REGION — The season's first big snowstorm, named Avery, is blowing in, and bringing with it the potential of up to 9 inches of snow in some places throughout the area. 

In northeastern Pennsylvania, the National Weather Service called a storm warning into effect beginning at 1 p.m. this afternoon and extending until 8 a.m. Friday morning, with an estimated five to nine inches of snow expected. In Sullivan County and nearby New York, the National Weather Service is calling for 3 to 5 inches of snow in some places, and 4 to 6 in others. The ice accumulation is expected to be from 1/10 to 2/10 of an inch, making road conditions potentially hazardous. 

Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Regional Press Director James May said that heavy rain in the last month is causing concern that water runoff from the mountains could turn into black ice on the road. PennDOT ranger crews surveying roadways and taking calls last night were mostly responding to reports of icy spots on the road, he said. 

Operations are running as normal right now, May added, and PennDOT crews are on 12-hour shifts. "Once the storm begins, it's all hands on deck," he said.

"Once the storm begins, it's all hands on deck."

PennDOT's District 4—which includes Wayne, Lackawanna, Wyoming, Luzerne, Pike and Suquehanna counties—covers 8,816 "snow-lane miles" of road, or roads that need plowing in storms. "That's enough miles for one plow truck to go from here to Anchorage, Alaska," May said. In Wayne County, 59 operators and 26 plow trucks will be on hand for the storm. In Pike, 30 operators and 21 plow trucks—with 23 temporary operators—will be monitoring the roads. Throughout the six counties, there are 195 plow trucks, 317 full-time operators and 131 temporary operators. New York State Department of Transportation public information officers were not available at the time of this story.

What people should be most concerned about on both sides of the state line, May advised, is black ice after the roads are cleared. "Between now and when it starts to snow, and then after the roads are cleared, people many times assume that if they see the black asphalt the road is completely dry." 

That's not always the case, he warned. So be careful out there.