Spring snow strikes county
The heavy, wet snow that blanketed Butler County Wednesday closed local schools and caused 55 traffic accidents in just 12 hours.
Those 55 accidents were reported to 911 as of 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, according to Robert McLafferty, Butler County's 911 coordinator.
“They weren't all injuries, but they were vehicle accidents,” McLafferty said. “Nobody is aware of anything that was major.”
Butler County was under a winter weather advisory until 8 p.m. Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh.
The snow actually dissipated around 3 p.m. Wednesday, and temperatures began rising, according to the NWS.
Matthew Kramar, a NWS meteorologist, said from 4 to 6 inches of snow fell across Butler County during the storm. He said the storm moved in an expected way but deviated slightly from their initial projections.
“We were expecting a snow band. It just wasn't clear exactly where that would be,” Kramar said. “It shifted maybe 20 to 30 miles more north than expected.”
In response to poor road conditions PennDOT imposed a ban on large and specialty vehicles on Interstate 79 from the Turnpike to Interstate 80.
Rich Kirkpatrick, communications director for PennDOT in Harrisburg, said the ban helped keep interstate highways clear and open by removing known risky vehicles from the equation.
“When you get any kind of snow, the experience has been that those vehicles have issues,” Kirkpatrick said.
The overflow from vehicles barred from I-79 filtered into roads used by local drivers, creating traffic buildups and delays.
Kirkpatrick said the decision was intentionally made with the overflow in mind, but it was the right call.
“We try to weigh those factors into consideration. We try to wrap them through other interstates and through routes, but it's not always possible,” he said.
“It's a balancing act. Safety is our top priority and keeping things moving is another priority.”Early morning temperatures allowed for some freezing before the thermometer began climbing.Mike Mattis, PennDOT Butler County maintenance manager, said the snow was easier to handle later in the day.“The temperatures are starting to go up now,” Mattis said. “We're getting a better handle on them.”Mattis said Butler County deployed its plows shortly before the storm began. He said some roads are worse than others.“We do focus a lot on our main roads,” he said. “Some of our secondary roads may have some slush on them.”Mattis said spring snow storms are not unheard of, especially in Pennsylvania.“We tend to get some heavier snowfall in March. One or two storms. It's not a surprise,” he said. “I think they were predicting a little bit more than what we actually got.”He said plow drivers continued to work on the roads after the storm calmed.“Our job's not done by any means when the snow stops,” Mattis said.The nasty weather caused multiple schools and organizations to close across the county. The road conditions even warranted PIAA officials to further postpone their high school basketball championship. tournament games.
