Cold temps bring first sighting of snow this season
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Oh, what a difference a day makes!
After a relatively warm start to the week, the first snowflakes of the season fell in Morgantown, Berks County on Thursday evening, just in time for rush hour traffic.
The snow didn't stick, but it made for slick conditions on the Pennsylvania Turnpike and on Main Street.
In Downingtown, the weather set the mood for a feel of the holiday season as the wintry conditions glistened in the lights... Even though it's a little early.
"Unexpected, not ready for it, but it's a good start," Bob Carr of Downingtown said.
Even when the flakes turned to sleet, it couldn't keep an annual tradition off the football field: Downingtown Stem Academy's powder puff football game.
Dean Zach Ruff couldn't say no when he saw the forecast.
"The kids did not want it cancelled; they were very hardcore about this. This is a big event for us. The kids were very, very worried it was going to get cancelled," Ruff said.
The seniors practiced their halftime dance routines too many times to let a winter surprise keep them from cheering.
"The weather is making us even more hype. When we do our head flips the rain is coming off our heads, it's going to look amazing," senior Dominic Riccio said.
"Rain or shine, wind or snow, sleet, whatever, we're going to be here," senior Andre Morris said.
As temperatures dropped overnight, many people pulled the winter gear out. Others discovered the cold when their bare legs hit the cold air.
The changing weather sent many people into the nearest store Thursday to grab something warm.
"There are a lot of people who are surprised by the cold, so they are coming in looking for comfy infinity scarfs to wrap around their necks, comfy slouchy hats with fleece lining, and hand warmers," Laura Lewis of Tselaine in Center City said.
It's a taste of what's to come.
Lewis offers this advice for getting ready for the long haul: find some color.
"When it's January and it's gray outside, and you're bummed that Christmas and Hanukkah and all those fun days are over, you're going to want something that cheers you up and makes you really, really smile," Lewis said.
While the cold may have been a bit of a shock to our systems, not everyone is sad to see the warmer temperatures go.
"I just hope it stays like this, as long as it doesn't get super cold," Mel Faison of North Philadelphia said.
