Lehigh Valley, Philadelphia region prepares for first snowfall of the season

ALLENTOWN, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- Pack and stack operations are underway at hardware stores in the Lehigh Valley ahead of expected snow showers Wednesday.

At Albright's Home and Garden in Allentown, employees have phased out fall season supplies for winter essentials.

While Wednesday's snowfall is expected to be minor, it does allow for what can be viewed as a trial run for heavy type accumulations.

"Not really a panic, but I think when there is a threat, we definitely see more and more people coming before work and after work," said Albright's Home and Garden store manager Griffin Daly.

Spokesperson Brad Rudolph with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation says using this snow event is a good test run.

About 180 trucks are ready to serve the five-county region.

"All of our guys have run their routes. They are prepared," said Rudolph.

There are also more than 120,000 tons of salt stockpiled for any major weather event.

"It's nice to have a little storm to kick off winter as opposed to a bigger one to get people acclimated to driving. Obviously, watch your speeds. Buckle up," Rudolph said.

Back at hardware stores, workers are not worried about supply chain issues with most equipment but do warn some tools may be in shorter supply.

"Snowblowers, we only got about half our orders. I don't know if we have any left right now. More on order, but it's hard to say when they are coming in," Daly said.

The advice is to call ahead and see if a specific model you're looking for is in stock.

PennDOT also wants to remind people to pay attention to their trucks to keep everyone safe on roadways.