Winter storm system brings heavy snow to parts of Western Pennsylvania and Pittsburgh area
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- A massive winter storm system brought large amounts of heavy snowfall to Western Pennsylvania and the Pittsburgh region.
Parts of the area south of Pittsburgh received the heaviest amounts of snowfall.
Snowfall accumulates throughout the area
Early Monday morning, snow was starting to accumulate in the city of Washington, one of the areas expected to get more snow than others. KDKA reporter Megan Shinn headed in that direction to keep track of road conditions.
In the Mobile Weather Lab, we say it's "snow problem" to show you the roads. Our Mobile Weather Lab is built for snowy weather, but when it comes to hitting the road throughout the day, you will see slushy conditions that are nonstop across the Pittsburgh region.
On Monday morning, KDKA-TV tracked the snowstorm to Uniontown and back, doing a round trip of about 140 miles. The entire time was spent in winter weather warning zones.
The crew saw their first flurries in Bridgeville and their venture south on I-79 showed better treatments on the main roads than side roads. Snow plows from PennDOT pushed through the inclement weather. There were plenty of flakes in the city of Washington, especially off Main Street.
The windshield wipers were working overtime for other drivers too on U.S. Route 40.
John Zacoi, a driver from Uniontown said, "Some people are leaving and not clearing their cars off really. I think that's the whole idea that we've always learned, take your time."
Even the best cars need more time.
"There's a couple areas it seems like it's black ice," Zacoi said. "Even with this locked into full drive it would still engage and slip a little in spots."
On foot, dogs and their owners rejoiced over the change in weather.
"Oh, it's wonderful she likes it. Good times, yeah!" said dog walker, Shannon Sord.
It's certainly snowy times on foot and on wheels, from our roads and beyond.
In Morgantown, West Virginia, heavy snow was also starting to pile up outside of the WVU Coliseum along Route 19. WVU canceled classes on Monday as the campus prepared for as much as 9 inches of snow from the winter storm system.
Closer to home, Pittsburgh Public Schools also canceled classes for Monday.
Pittsburghers enjoy first "snow day" of the year
While people were digging out, many kids and parents got to enjoy a snow day, because even in this day and age of remote learning, there's still time to get out and make some memories.
When you have a hill like the one at the corner of Brownsville Road and Ridge Road in South Park, it's going to be one of the most popular spots anytime there's a blanket of snow. A hill that is nice and long is a sled rider's dream.
"We always wanted to get the kids as much fun as possible on the biggest hill," Corey Hall of Brentwood said.
Kids no matter how young blazed their path through the fresh powder, and the kids at heart had some fun too.
"Oh yeah. Awesome. I didn't really grow up so I'm going to be a kid forever," said Chrissa Driscoll of Bethel Park with a laugh.
From the city's South Side to South Park, it was a day to get those hill workouts in.
"I got all the way down the hill and the walk back I feel like took forever but it's really fun," Declan Driscoll said about climbing back up the hill.
It wasn't all fun and games. While the streets were cleared, driveways still had to be taken care of. While it may not be the most fun, some people are taking it in stride after a quiet start to winter.
"And we really didn't have too much in November and December so, you know, we can't complain too much," Bill Brown of South Park said while cleaning his driveway.
City crews had crews out overnight and plan to have about 45 trucks out to continue clearing streets.
"When you do see a plow truck, please slow down. They are out there trying to make the roads safe for you, so give them some room," Pittsburgh Public Works deputy director Bill Crean said.
According to the airport, this winter blast didn't cause any issues for travel. Most of the cancellations were because of the weather at the destination.
Pittsburgh Regional Transit experiences morning delays
PRT said Monday morning that some bus routes were delayed by as long as 20 minutes "due to slower than usual traffic" as the winter weather moved through the area.
PRT also says the Mon Incline is out of service.
Winter storm warning in place for most of the Pittsburgh region
A winter storm warning is in effect for Greene, Fayette, Washington, Westmoreland, Somerset, Monongalia, Preston, and Garrett counties from 7 p.m. Sunday until 7 p.m. Monday. A winter weather advisory is in effect for Allegheny and Indiana counties.
So far Monday, the highest snowfall total is in Fayette County with 5 inches in the Leith-Hatfield area. North, places in Beaver and Butler picked up around 2 to 3 inches. Some areas south of Pittsburgh could still pick up around 1 to 3 inches.
Snow tapers off around 7 p.m. and wind gusts will pick up around 20 mph with overnight lows in the upper teens.
Hundreds of schools and organizations are closed
Ahead of the arrival of the winter weather storm system, hundreds of schools and organizations announced they will be closed or have changed plans for the day.
A full list of impacted schools and organizations can be found here.
Note: Due to technical issues with our reporting system, some closings may not be showing up. We apologize for any inconvenience.
Allegheny County and city of Pittsburgh road crews say they're ready for incoming winter weather
Road crews in Pittsburgh started pre-treating streets at 6 p.m. on Sunday, ready to switch from preparation to snow removal mode.
"We do anticipate, with the intensity of the storm, snow to be on the roadways," said Steven Shanley, Allegheny County Public Works director. "We encourage the drivers to slow down, leave additional time, and leave enough space for our drivers to operate."
Shanley added that drivers will be working double shifts.
As for the city's plow trucks, crews have been working around the clock to clear the roads. But there's some work left to be done in Pittsburgh.
"We had 40 to 45 trucks out overnight dealing with the storm," Pittsburgh Public Works Deputy Director Bill Crean said.
Crean said this latest storm system changed for the good of the city on Monday. While most of the snow has moved out of the region, the city will continue to have about 45 trucks on the roads until 6 a.m. Tuesday.
"I think our guys responded very well to get back to normal and will work overnight to get back to normal. When you do see a plow truck, please slow down. They are out there trying to make the roads safe for you. So, give them some room," Crean said.
Trash pick-up for some city residents has been impacted recently by the holidays and winter weather.
"We did do some pre-treating overnight, paying close attention to the environmental service routes, those trash allies that we have, keeping them on the road and I think that worked out well. Some of the East End neighborhoods who have had missed trash pickup, I think they should be caught up. Maybe the recycling needs to be caught up some," Crean said.
The city closed some problem streets at the start of the storm, including South Negley Avenue. But they should all be back open.
Other recent snowfalls left some neighbors dealing with messy, untouched streets, especially in hilly areas. Public works officials said if your city street has not been plowed or salted 24 hours after the snow ends, call 311 and the city crews will get on it.
Pittsburgh-area shoppers hit the grocery store before the storm arrives
Many shoppers raced to their local grocery stores on Sunday ahead of the storm system arriving early Monday morning.
Part of the rush was based on the uncertainty of just how much snow could arrive, depending on what part of the area you live in.
People at the store were stocking up on eggs, milk, prescriptions, and whatever else was necessary to make sure they were ready.
PennDOT and Pennsylvania Turnpike implement vehicle restrictions ahead of winter storm
As the storm started to arrive in the area, PennDOT temporarily reduced the speed limit on Interstate 79 and on Interstate 70. Most of those restrictions have been lifted.
Around noon, PennDOT pulled the restrictions for on I-79, I-279 (Parkway North), I-376 (Parkways East and West), I579 and I-76 (Pennsylvania Turnpike from Monroeville to Cranberry). PennDOT also lifted speed and right-lane-only commercial vehicle restrictions on I-79 in the region.
During the worst of the snow, the speed limit was reduced to 45 miles per hour on I-79 from the West Virginia border to the I-376 interchange near Robinson Township and on I-70 from the West Virginia border to the Pennsylvania Turnpike interchange in New Stanton.
The restrictions on the roadways included no tractors without trailers, no passenger vehicles with trailers, no school buses or commercial buses, no motorcycles, among others.
The winter storm system created a travel nightmare outside of Pennsylvania as well.
Airlines canceled almost 2,000 flights within, to or out of the U.S. as of 11 a.m. ET on Jan. 6, while another roughly 2,400 flights have been delayed, according to data from flight-tracker FlightAware. Amtrak, meanwhile, canceled multiple trains, noting that the disruptions were "for the safety of Amtrak customers and employees, due to forecasted winter weather.
Who is responsible for plowing my road?
Allegheny County has an interactive website that details who is responsible for cleaning your roads or streets.
The site shows color-coded roads based on whether they are maintained by PennDOT, Allegheny County, and local municipalities, or if they are privately maintained.
PennDOT also provides an online tracker via 511PA that allows you to track where the state's snow plows and salt trucks are.
