Pittsburgh Gets Season's 1st Accumulating Snowfall
By: Amy Wadas and Bryant Reed/KDKA-TV
UNIONTOWN, Pa. (KDKA) -- For the first time this season, western Pennsylvania received significant snowfall, with areas south seeing the most.
People in Uniontown spent their day cleaning off their snow-covered cars, driveways and sidewalks following the first snowfall of the season. Snow was on Francis Squires' mind as he spent part of the day cleaning off his car.
"Get it cleaned off so I can go get some stuff for my wife that she needs," said Squires.
Some images following the first snowstorm in Uniontown. We saw people out and about cleaning off their cars, shoveling their driveways and sidewalks. The concern tonight is ice. We have some tips to stay safe on the roads at 6 on @KDKA. pic.twitter.com/C8VswqVnmz
— Amy Wadas (@AmyWadas) January 7, 2022
However, he's well aware that the cold temperatures and wet roads are a perfect storm for ice.
"There's gonna be icy spots. I've driven all my life in this. Do what you have to do to make sure your car is in good shape and have good tires," said Squires.
That's where Charlie Marcinko of Tri-County Tire comes in.
"With everyone forecasting snow like we were for the last few days, all week long we've been busy putting tires on cars, making sure cars up to snub," said Marcinko.
WATCH: KDKA's Bryant Reed reports
Marcinko anticipates staying busy for a while, especially after the amount of snow the city saw.
"The roads are very bad. Really bad last night," said Marcinko. "I was surprised when I woke up and came to work because I live in Fairchance."
But, he says he loves it! This is something he and Judy Matty don't have in common.
"I wish it didn't snow this much but you do what you have to do to get out in the future so you clean it off," said Matty.
KDKA's Amy Wadas talked to the city of Uniontown Public Works director Friday, who said he has crews on standby in case the road gets icy. The same goes for PennDOT District 12, who handles Westmoreland, Fayette, Washington and Greene Counties. They said they have crews out and about as well monitoring icy conditions.
People were still clearing out Friday after waking up early to snow.
Early in the morning, streets in Pittsburgh's Arlington neighborhood were covered with snow.
A short distance away in the city's Dormont neighborhood, Potomac Avenue streets were slick and snowy as well.
A tractor-trailer crashed into a pole in Swissvale early Tuesday morning. It's unclear if anyone was injured.
Meanwhile, efforts have been underway for hours as PennDOT's Lori Musto told KDKA's John Shumway this morning, which you can watch in full below:
Due to inclement weather, Pittsburgh Public Schools announced that today would be a remote instruction day. The district, however, is still providing grab-and-go meals at several schools from 9:00 a.m. until noon.
Due to the weather, on Thursday, speed limits were reduced to 45mph on Interstate 70 in both Washington and Westmoreland counties. Also, the same restrictions were in place on Interstate 79 in Greene and Washington counties. All roadways are back to their usual speed limits.