Pittsburgh Weather: Winter Storm Watch Issued For Parts Of Western Pennsylvania
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- A winter storm watch has been issued for parts of western Pennsylvania that will be in effect for several days.
The watch will go into effect on Wednesday and will remain in effect through Friday morning.
Mostly rain is expected to arrive Wednesday evening and it could turn to an icy mix on Thursday morning. Up to 1/4 inch of freezing rain could fall Thursday.
The freezing rain then changes over to snow. The official forecast from the NWS office is calling for just 2 to 4 inches of snow, but KDKA Meteorologist Ron Smiley says we could see 3 to 7 inches.
This system will bring a risk of flooding with rain on top of melting snow along with ice jams. The freezing rain and sleet will make travel treacherous Thursday night into Friday and could bring some potential power outages with accumulating ice. Snow on top of ice Friday will make for slippery travel as well.
Pittsburgh Public Works said it plans to deploy 32 salt trucks when the freezing rain starts Thursday. Pre-treatment isn't an option because the rain beforehand will wash extra salt away, the department said.
"Depending on traffic, it takes our salt truck drivers about one to two hours to complete their routes and another hour to return to the nearest maintenance garage, reload with salt, and restart their routes," Public Works Director Stephen Shanley said in a news release.
"So, there likely will be ice and snow accumulation on our roadways at times during this storm. We appreciate the public's patience as we work to remove the ice and snow as quickly possible," Shanley said.
Shanley recommends that residents stay home if possible when the roads are slick. If you have to go out, Shanley said to slow down, avoid sudden stops and turns and leave extra space between you and the vehicle ahead.
KDKA's meteorologists are watching the latest data to help fine-tune the forecast, but this is a tricky one when it comes to when the changeover will happen from liquid to frozen precipitation and where. That will impact who gets more rain, freezing rain or snow from north to south.
Stay with KDKA for all the latest weather developments.
WEATHER LINKS:
Current Conditions | School Delays & Closings | Local Radar | Weather App | Photos
Stay up to date with the KDKA app, which you can download here.