Here we snow!
Winter storm blankets region with season’s first significant snowfall
The first significant snowfall of the season hit Southwestern Pennsylvania on Tuesday morning, closing and delaying schools and snarling morning commutes.
The National Weather Service in Pittsburgh reported between 2 to 4 inches of accumulation by 9:30 a.m., with 4.2 inches of snowfall in parts of Washington County.
The heavy snowfall over a short period of time made it hard to clear roads quickly, causing headaches for commuters as they hit the roads. There were several reports of minor car accidents, with cars sliding off roadways and other incidents.
“We heard of a lot of accidents reported from PennDOT and law enforcement from around the area. There were a lot of issues,” said NWS Pittsburgh meteorologist Bill Modzelewski. “It was a fairly wet snowfall, it had a lot of water content in it. It was generally a wet and heavy snow, which caused a lot of minor accidents as far as the commute goes.”
Pennsylvania Department of Transportation District 12 temporarily reduced the speed limit on Interstate 79 in Washington and Greene counties and Interstate 70 in Washington and Westmoreland counties due to the severity of the storm.
PennDOT crews treated roadways during the snowstorm, and said its primary goal is to keep roads passable, and that they would “continue to treat roadways throughout the storm until precipitation stops and the roads are clear.”
Those 45-mph speed limit restrictions were lifted mid-morning.
Snow began falling in the region around 3 a.m. Tuesday. A winter weather advisory was issued for all of western Pennsylvania, along with parts of Ohio, West Virginia, and Maryland.
Modzelewski said most of the snow accumulation was winding down by 9 a.m., at the end of the morning commute, but light snowflurries were expected to continue into the early afternoon.
“The timing of the snowfall has been an issue this morning,” said Modzelewski, noting the snowfall came at a challenging time.
Most area school districts switched to remote learning, flexible instruction days, or canceled classes.
Kaitlyn Wildermuth of Bayville, N.J., took advantage of her day off from classes at Washington & Jefferson College to slide down the snowy hillside in front of Old Main with a trash bag she fashioned into a makeshift sled. The sophomore communications major said she was surprised no other students were out playing in the winter wonderland.
“I love it,” Wildermuth said of the snow. “In New Jersey, it’s just rainy.”
PennDOT said motorists can check conditions on more than 40,000 miles of Pennsylvania roadways by visiting www.511PA.com, which provides traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information and access to more than 1,200 traffic cameras.
511PA is also available through a smartphone application for iPhone and Android devices, by calling 5-1-1, or by following regional X alerts.
PennDOT advises motorists to pack a basic emergency kit for vehicles, with items that include non-perishable food, water, a blanket, a small shovel, warm clothes, and specialty items like baby food, pet supplies, and medicaiton.
NWS said cold temperatures tonight, which will drop into the low 20s, could re-freeze some roadways, and urges drivers to be cautious on the roads.
Staff writer Mike Jones contributed to this story.