LOWER TOWAMENSING TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- When cool temperatures set in across Northeastern and Central Pennsylvania, many may decide to stay in by the fire.
But for Barbara Green, who runs Blue Mountain Ski Resort near Palmerton, it's time to start making snow.
"Now we're basically in production mode, you know we manufacture all our snow. We've been testing it since the middle of August, to make sure that it didn't have any leaks, air leaks or water leaks. We don't rely on natural snow, that's always been the way Pennsylvania has been," explained Green, the CEO of Blue Mountain Ski Resort.
The recipe for man-made snow is tricky. The temperatures need to be close to freezing, with dry air. Green says they will put two feet of snow on the mountain before skiers hit the slopes.
"As soon as it gets cold we start making snow. We're crossing our fingers that we're going to open up the day after Thanksgiving, you know maybe sooner! It depends on how cold it gets," said Green.
Ski resorts aren't the only ones preparing for the cold season, Marzen's Feed and Hardware is also preparing for customers looking to stay warm.
"Wood pellets and coal, there's generally a shortage of wood pellets, and people are trying to stock up on that before the really cold weather hits," explained Pamela Hough, who is a clerk at Marzen's.
The cold snap happened so quickly, the store still has fertilizer out next to the ice melt. Despite the quickly changing weather, store workers say they are prepared for all their customers' needs.
"When you get cold nasty weather it's a lot busier. They were kind of rushing in here because the cold weather hit kind of fast...although I don't know how long it will last," explained Hough.
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