Winter Storm Could Put Down Slushy Inch Or 2 For Morning Commute
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- A winter storm is moving across the Midwest, packing high winds and snow, and it continues to close in on the Pittsburgh area.
A Winter Weather Advisory has been issued for much of the area from 3 a.m. Friday through 7 p.m. Saturday. Also, a Winter Storm Warning has been issued for Clarion, Crawford, Jefferson, Mercer, Somerset and Venango counties.
KDKA's Jon Burnett says by Friday morning we could be seeing a slushy inch or two on the ground.
He says the rain will change to snow between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m., and then it's going to be all snow.
"The ground is still relatively warm, we topped out today in the mid- to upper-40s in most parts of the viewing area, so it'll take a while for that snow to start to stick, but it will," Burnett said.
Burnett says he expects we'll be seeing another couple of inches during the day Friday, and another inch or so on Saturday.
"When you get over in the mountains, it's a whole different story and a different world with as much as a foot possible in some locations in the highest elevations, north of I-80, also much more than we'll see here locally," he added.
Burnett says we saw anywhere from half to three quarters to an inch of rainfall today, and there will be more to come up until midnight or 2 a.m.
"Then, the colder air arrives and when it does, it'll change that rain over to snow; strong winds, gusty winds at anywhere from 35 to 45 miles an hour," he said.
Morning commuters are advised to take it slow and be on the lookout for blowing snow. Meanwhile, Burnett says this all could me a white Christmas.
"We're still going to be in the snow on Saturday, and flurries even left over on Sunday with blowing snow and that will continue right into Christmas Day," he said. "It looks like even on Christmas Day itself there will be a chance for a rain-snow mix and a white Christmas appears to be a certainty."
RELATED LINKS:
NOAA
National Weather Service
Latest Weather Conditions
Local Radar
Latest Traffic Conditions
Traffic Cams
