The National Weather Service says all of Western Pennsylvania is now under a winter storm warning from Saturday evening until Monday. We are expecting the biggest snow since 2010's Snowmageddon when the area was hit with over 20 inches.
What we’re expecting:
AccuWeather meteorologist Joe Lundberg tells KDKA Radio that the latest projections, as of Friday morning is 8 to 12 inches of snow, “and it’s quite reasonable to expect some locations could exceed a foot of snow from this storm system.”
“It’s going to be a big one, it’s going to cause extensive travel delays across the area and maybe the potential for some road closures too,” added Lundberg.
Those snow totals are wide-spread with much of the listening area expecting at least 8 inches, high elevations could see even more.
Timing:
The Winter Storm Warning takes effect at 7 p.m. Saturday and runs through Monday afternoon.
The snow is expected to begin falling lightly between 7 and 10 p.m. Saturday. The heaviest snow will fall Sunday morning through late Sunday night before giving way to snow showers. It will also be windy with blowing snow possible.
In addition to the snow, it will be dangerously cold. Temperatures will be in the teens through next Saturday, January 31. Lows will be in the single digits at night with a forecasted temperature of minus 5 on Monday.
The bitter cold will make it hard for rock salt to melt the snow, so roads may be difficult to navigate early in the week.
See the latest watches and warnings here.
Road Treating Prep:
Mayor O'Connor says Pittsburgh has 75 Department of Public Works trucks with plows and salt spreaders to be used for the snow that's expected to start falling Saturday night.
And 19 trucks with one or the other will be out, and then after tomorrow's refuse pickups, Environmental Service pick-up trucks will have plows attached.
There will be no garbage pickup on Monday so crews can focus on snow removal.
As for salt, O’Connor says they have 8,000 tons of salt with more being delivered.
For any emergencies, call 911. For all other non-emergencies, call 311 which will be staffed throughout the weekend.
Allegheny County and PennDOT are also holding news conferences on Friday as they prepare for the storm.
See who is responsible for plowing your road here.
Many businesses and office building are recommending working from home on Monday, if possible.
Food Supplies:
Giant Eagle said it is increasing its supply as the storm approaches, with shoppers quickly grabbing items off the shelves.
Frank Dentici with Kuhn’s Markets tells KDKA Radio they’ve already seen an increase in customers as the forecast continued to stay consistent, calling for heavy snow.
Top items include the typical bread, eggs and milk but Dentici says items like Cheez-Its are also flying off the shelves.
The bottom line: stores are working to keep shelves stocked, but you may need to be flexible when it comes to getting what you need.
Giant Eagle is offering free home delivery through Saturday. Details below:
Related
Salt Supplies:
With the bitter cold, the best choice for snow melt is calcium chloride, which works down to minus 25 and magnesium chloride words down to minus 10.
Unfortunately, regular rock salt stops being effective around 15 degrees and temps will get to around 23 on Sunday and a high of 16 is forecast for Monday.
And, supplies are already hard to come by, with many stores running out of snow melting supplies quickly.
Andy Amrhein of Evey True Value in Bethel Park tells KDKA Radio snow melt supplies are low across much of the East Coast but, he still has salt at his store, around 3,000 bags.
He recommends doing your shopping as soon as possible.
Power and heat:
Duquesne light says they don’t expect wide-spread outages but will have crews on hand to restore power.
The good news, with the deep freeze, we are not expected to get the wetter, heavier snow that would weight power lines down.
Get more tips from Duquesne Light here
Now is also the time to make sure your furnaces are ready for the bitter cold.
Mitch Russell with Metro Heating says homeowners who haven’t had recent furnace maintenance should start with the basics. especially checking their air filters, making sure it’s clean so your furnace doesn’t have to work as hard.
if you have a gas furnace that’s 15 years old or older, he recommends having it inspected right away.
Airport Cancelations Possible:
Bob Kerlik at Pittsburgh International says currently there are no mass cancellations.
He says to make sure you are leaving extra time for traveling to the airport, try to book direct flights if possible and keep up-to-the-minute on your flight here.
Sunday Services:
The Pittsburgh Catholic Diocese says if the roads are bad and you don't feel safe, you have dispensation from attending mass on Sunday.
The diocese says in a release:
With the significant winter storm forecast to impact western Pennsylvania this weekend, Bishop Mark Eckman has granted a dispensation from the obligation to attend Sunday Mass for all Catholics in the Diocese of Pittsburgh.
Closings and Delays:
Stay up to date with all closings and delays with the KDKA Radio Storm Center.