Avalanche Closes PA Road – Winter Storm Fern Updates

(Luzerne County, PA, January 27, 2026) — A rare avalanche blocked a road in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, on Sunday, January 25, as Winter Storm Fern brought heavy snowfall to the region.

A large snow slide closed Coxton Road, though it has since been cleared and reopened to traffic.

• Winter Storm Fern triggered an unusual avalanche in northeastern Pennsylvania.
• Coxton Road was temporarily impassable due to the snow slide.
• No vehicles were damaged, and the road has been reopened, though conditions remain narrow.

Authorities were alerted to the avalanche blocking Coxton Road around 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, according to a Facebook post from Duryea Fire and Police.

The Duryea Fire Police responded to the scene and discovered that “a large snow slide,” also known as an avalanche, had occurred approximately 1.5 miles from the Lackawanna County border, blocking both lanes of travel.

According to Fox29, avalanches are rare in Pennsylvania. The outlet reported that Luzerne County received 12 to 16 inches of snow accumulation.

While no vehicles were damaged, authorities confirmed the road was “impassable,” and drivers were urged to avoid the area unless “absolutely necessary,” Duryea Fire and Police said in a Facebook post.

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation dispatched a crew to clear the road, and it was subsequently reopened. However, Duryea Fire and Police noted that significant snow drifts on either side of the road left it “very narrow.”

Coxton Road in Luzerne County, Penn. on Jan. 25, 2026.

Duryea Fire Police

What This Means for You

The avalanche on Coxton Road serves as a stark reminder of the dangers posed by heavy snowfall and winter storms. While rare in Pennsylvania, avalanches can occur even with moderate snowfall amounts, particularly in hilly or mountainous terrain. The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation issued a warning following the incident, noting that snowy, slushy, or ice-covered roadways caused 8,329 crashes, 29 fatalities, and 2,959 injuries last winter. The department emphasized that 11 of those fatalities were people not wearing seatbelts, and 17 occurred when drivers were traveling too fast for conditions.

“Eleven of the people who died weren’t wearing a seat belt, and 17 of the fatalities were in crashes where a driver was going too fast for conditions and drove out of their lane,” the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation warned.

Winter Storm Fern has impacted a large portion of the U.S., leaving hundreds of thousands without power and, as of Sunday, at least 30 deaths attributed to the storm, according to the Associated Press.

Time.news based this report in part on reporting by Fox29 and the Associated Press and added independent analysis and context.