Plows and salt trucks hit the streets early Sunday evening ahead of a major winter storm that brought several inches of snow to southwestern Pennsylvania.
Late Monday morning in Allegheny County, many area roads were passable, but not clear of snow because of additional accumulation and windy conditions.
County public works director Stephen Shanley said crews will be out all day.
"Hopefully into the afternoon, crews can get out there and clear the roads to make them more passable for the drivers," he said. "The sun will come out and help melt the snow also, so if [people] can stay in a little more to give our drivers enough room to operate, we would appreciate that."
Once roads are clear, Allegheny County says crews will focus on salting and treating problem areas to prevent runoff from refreezing.
Counties north of Allegheny County saw slightly more snow, creating even more of a challenge for plow and salt truck drivers in the area.
PennDOT District 10 oversees Butler, Armstrong, Clarion, Indiana and Jefferson Counties. Spokesperson Tina Gibbs said crews were racing the rapidly falling snow all night.
"When we get snow that comes down with a couple of inches an hour, it is very difficult to stay up with things," she said. "That's why when we see snow storms come like this, we do ask folks to try to stay off the roads if at all possible, just to give us space to be able to do our jobs the best we can."
The National Weather Service in Pittsburgh forecasted wind gusts up to 30 miles per hour in the region. Local leaders are reporting winds causing some snow to drift onto the roads after they're cleared.
Several car crashes were reported Sunday evening into Monday morning, including a crash involving an ambulance on the Parkway North.
The Port Authority says routes are running 30 to 40 minutes behind, and buses are mostly staying on main roads.
