Snow, Cold Temperatures Make Commute Miserable For Many
PITTSBURGH (KDKA/AP) -- Motorists are facing snowy conditions in Pittsburgh and the surrounding area today.
Road crews have taken to the streets as forecasters call for 1 to 3 inches of snow to fall Tuesday. Areas north of the city could see as much as 4 to 6 inches in the higher elevations.
A Winter Weather Advisory remains in effect for much of the area, as well as parts of West Virginia and Maryland. Crawford County is under a Lake Effect Snow Advisory.
KDKA Meteorologist Ron Smiley says three bands of snow are what's creating the havoc. The first came in at around 7 a.m., the next was between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. and the other arrived around 12:30 p.m.
WATCH THE LATEST FORECAST:
The snow will be followed by bitter cold temperatures and dangerous wind chills. That prompted several school districts to delay classes by two hours Tuesday morning.
Current Weather Conditions
School Closings & Delays
Traffic Conditions
Join The Conversation On The KDKA Facebook Page
Stay Up To Date, Follow KDKA On Twitter
In the city, things are at a Level One Snow Alert, meaning an expected half-inch to three inches.
Public Works Director Mike Gable says a glitch last week with snow and icing caused the department to add more night turn crews to combat the issue.
"The snow came early this morning, 3 o'clock, gave our crews, our night-turn crews, a good jump so when people were going to work today they were pretty much hitting good roads," said Gable.
Gable says a few buses slid off the roadways due to slick conditions, but that routes weren't dramatically impacted.
Mark Kephart, who made the trek to Bridgeville this morning from the Uniontown area, says the closer he got to the city the more he hit the brakes.
"The road conditions weren't bad until we got closer to here and they started getting a little bit more slippery," said Kephart. "There was a little bit more snow a bit more ice."
Accidents were being reported all across the area as a result of slick road conditions.
In the Collier Township area, an SUV crashed about 30 to 40 feet over a hillside around 5:25 a.m. in the 1000-block of Gregg Station Road. The driver was not seriously injured but crews had to pull the vehicle back up from the hill.
People like Dallion Townsend of Bridgeville who watched the weather roll in overnight while at work say the winter weather didn't slow traffic down.
"It's funny, you'd think that weather would scare people off, but they still keep coming through and commenting about how the weather is, and I'm like, 'You're still coming out here, but alright," said Townsend.
"With more snow expected to fall throughout the evening commute, Gable says crews will remain ample through rush hour.
Drivers are being advised to slowdown. State Police in Kittanning, Armstrong County, put out a press release asking drivers to travel at safe speeds. There were reports of a five-vehicle accident on Route 28 southbound near the Etna exit. There were also reports of accidents on the Turnpike.
In Clarion County, Route 68 had to be closed in both directions between Zion Road and Timber Bridge Road in Monroe Township, and Huckleberry Ridge Road in Piney Township due to an accident, said PennDOT. The road is expected to reopen by 7 p.m.
The Port Authority was reporting delays of approximately 15 minutes across the area.
And if you're wondering when plows will get to your street, you can check City of Pittsburgh plows here and PennDOT plows here.
In Erie and the surrounding area, as much as a foot of snow could fall, fueled by lake-effect precipitation from Lake Erie.
Forecasters say the Poconos and Lehigh Valley could see less than an inch of snow Tuesday.
The snowy weather also prompted PennDOT to drop the speed limit to 45 mph between Exit 45 at Emlenton and Exit 97 at Dubois on Interstate 80. Two stretches of the westbound highway had to be closed down Tuesday morning due to snow-related crashes.
Over in Ohio, as many as 30 vehicles were involved in a pileup on Interstate 70.
(TM and © Copyright 2016 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2016 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
