Overnight snow impacts Western Pa. schools, roadways

More than 200 schools and school districts — from Academy Charter School in Pittsburgh to the Yough School District in Westmoreland County — either closed or delayed the opening of school Tuesday morning, as the Pittsburgh area was hit with snow and frigid temperatures.

Pittsburgh Public Schools canceled classes for the day because of Tuesday morning’s weather conditions. So did Hempfield Area, Butler Area, Franklin Regional, New Kensington-Arnold and Penn Hills school districts, among others.

Schools like Uniontown’s St. John Evangelist, as well as larger districts Gateway, Woodland Hills and Peters in Washington County, went to remote instruction Tuesday.

For a complete list of school closings and delays, visit WTAE’s list.

Motorists faced rough sledding on Pittsburgh’s roadways. A look at the PennDOT’s traffic cameras at 8 a.m. showed major roads clear enough, yet still snow covered in spots. Secondary roads appeared to be more covered.

A PennDOT spokesman said road conditions “vary from location.”

“The interstates are in decent condition,” said PennDOT spokesman Steve Cowan. “The inbound Parkway East is slushy now but was snow covered (at 8 a.m.).”

Route 79 in Collier Township “is just wet,” Cowan said.

“Motorists should expect snow and ice conditions throughout the morning as our crews contend with rush hour traffic,” he said. “Travelers should give themselves extra time if they are traveling this morning.”

Late Monday, PennDOT closed the High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes on Routes 279 and 579 in Pittsburgh and Ross “due to the predicted winter weather forecast,” local officials announced.

Allegheny County Public Works employees had been hitting the road with salt trucks since midnight, Public Works Director Stephen G. Shanley told TribLive. A total of 26 trucks remained deployed at 9 a.m.

“Most county-maintained roads are clear of snow, and we’re working as quickly as possible to clear the rest,” Shanley said. “We have had no reports of issues on our roadways this morning.”

Allegheny County officials encourage drivers to slow down on slick roads, avoid making any sudden moves or fast turns, leave extra space between your vehicle and the one in front of you, and give salt trucks plenty of room to operate.

Residents can find out whether the county or another agency is responsible for plowing and salting a specific roadway by visiting the county’s interactive road plowing map, Shanley said.

Snow is likely to continue Tuesday morning, though new accumulations will run “less than an inch,” according to National Weather Service meteorologists in Moon. Chance of snow is 70 percent.

A social media post from the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh said areas such as Uniontown and Morgantown, W.Va., could see snow totals closer to three inches.

We've been getting a lot of questions on specific snow totals. Here is the latest snowfall forecast through 7PM on Tuesday. No changes are expected to the totals for the evening shift. The heaviest snowfall is expected between 8pm and 5am. pic.twitter.com/WiG7fjZ0ky

— NWS Pittsburgh (@NWSPittsburgh) January 15, 2024

The weather service, though, had not reported official snow totals from Monday night into Tuesday morning, as of 7 a.m.

It will remain cloudy and cold, with steady temperatures around 17 degrees, the weather service said. Wind gusts could reach 10 to 15 mph.

On Tuesday night, the mercury should drop to around 6 degrees, with wind chills as low as -10 degrees after midnight, the weather service said.

A wind chill advisory goes into effect 10 p.m. Tuesday and runs through noon Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service station in Moon.

Wednesday is expected to be sunny — although still pretty frigid. Highs are expected in the lower 20s. Southwest winds will range from 15 to 20 mph, with gusts up to 30 mph, the weather service said.

Wind chill values could make it feel as cold as -12 degrees Wednesday morning.