At least one person has died in an 18-vehicle crash on northbound Interstate 79 in Butler County, Pennsylvania State Police said Friday.
Both lanes of the highway are now closed between mile markers 80 and 88, from the Zelienople to Evans City exits, said Cpl. Bertha Cazy.
The crash in Jackson Township was reported just after 10:20 a.m., she said, and is believed to have been caused by snowy and icy road conditions.
Cazy expects I-79 to be closed for several hours and said traffic is being rerouted to state Route 19, which will likely also see delays.
According to the National Weather Service, the Pittsburgh area is expected to get 1 to 2 inches of snow Friday, with 3 to 6 inches expected in the ridges.
Meteorologist Tim Cermak said when the precipitation started Friday morning, it began as freezing drizzle before transitioning to all snow.
The temperatures Friday morning around the time of the crash were in the low 20s, he said.
“If roads aren’t treated, at those temperatures, freezing drizzle and snow could lay on the roads and become slick,” Cermak said.
Because of the recent spate of cold weather, he continued, the roads themselves are also cold, which allows the snow and freezing drizzle to stick more quickly.
“All it takes is a coating to make roads slick and people lose traction,” Cermak said.