Storm warning
CRANBERRY TWP — With the forecast calling for heavy snow accumulation, Butler County is under a winter storm warning until at least 7 a.m. Thursday.
While the National Weather Service's Pittsburgh office originally issued a winter storm watch for the county Tuesday, it upgraded that to a warning based on indications there would likely be around 6 inches of snow.
Allegheny, Armstrong, Fayette, Greene, Washington and Westmoreland counties also fall under the snow warning, which projects accumulation of 5 to 8 inches across the region.
According to the service's forecast for Butler County specifically, the brunt of the storm should come in the early afternoon after 1 p.m. with snow accumulation estimated between 1 and 3 inches. Winds of about 20 mph are also expected.
Heading into Wednesday night, before 1 a.m. Thursday, the service forecast more snowfall — between 2 and 4 inches — with calmer wind conditions.
Myranda Fullerton, a meteorologist with the weather service in Pittsburgh, said the criteria used to upgrade a watch to a warning include the accumulation of 6 or more inches in a 12-hour period, or 8 or more inches in 24 hours.
Snow — which Fullerton said will likely be heavy and wet — is expected to begin accumulating in earnest in mid-morning or early afternoon Wednesday, with the heaviest periods occurring around the evening rush hour.
“The evening commute home for those who are commuting could be very treacherous,” Fullerton said. “The main message here is to expect a period of heavy, accumulating snowfall.”
Heavier snowfall is expected in the eastern segment of the county, Fullerton said.
Around 6 p.m. Tuesday, Gov. Tom Wolf signed a proclamation of disaster emergency in anticipation of the storm.Expected power outages and damages as well as travel impacted his decision, according to Wolf.Wolf spoke in a news conference Tuesday about the storm and about COVID-19 vaccine distribution.“This proclamation makes it easier for all of those involved in vaccine delivery and keeping people safe to do their jobs,” Wolf said.Wolf said state officials have been watching the storm and its trajectory over the last week.“We are ready to provide whatever support is needed to keep our citizens safe during this potentially dangerous storm,” Gov. Wolf said. “We encourage you to prepare now to keep your loved ones safe, and also avoid any unnecessary travel.”While the emergency proclamation does not mention school closures, a number of county schools already made their calls Tuesday night.The Butler Area, Karns City Area, Seneca Valley and Mars Area school districts have canceled in-person instruction Wednesday due to the snowstorm in the forecast.Butler was holding in-person instruction only for special education students while other students are receiving remote instruction.At Karns City, the school district offered parents the option of having their children attend classes in-person or remotely.Other school districts, including Allegheny-Clarion Valley, Moniteau and Freeport Area, did not post plans for Wednesday on their websites, but all three were using remote instruction because of COVID-19.
Both local snowplow crews and PennDOT were preparing for the storm Tuesday into Wednesday, monitoring the weather situation and setting down anti-icing agents before the snow hit the ground.Tina Gibbs, spokeswoman for PennDOT District 10, which includes Butler, Armstrong, Clarion, Indiana and Jefferson counties, said state workers were readying for the expected storm like any other projected snowfall.“We're doing what we always do,” Gibbs said. “The trucks are all ready to go; the stockpiles are all loaded and ready to go. We'll be monitoring the weather conditions (to see) if the temperatures allow us to pretreat with salt or antiskid (material).”In Cranberry Township, public works director Kelly Maurer said crews were applying anti-icing salt brine to the township's “priority collector roads,” which connect the residential neighborhoods with arteries such as Routes 19 and 228. Those arterial roads are handled by PennDOT, she said.This pretreatment keeps snow from sticking and ice forming on the road when flakes first fall, Maurer said. This gives crews a benefit in plowing the 132 miles of roads maintained by Cranberry.“It's almost like putting (cooking spray) on a cookie sheet,” she said. “The snow won't bond right away, and it gives us more time to react when the snow starts.”Like with all else this year, there may be concern over public works employees contracting COVID-19. Maurer said the township has no plow drivers quarantined, but communities in the southwest tier of the county have an intermunicipal agreement to provide aid should that become a concern in the future.“We're well-prepared for tomorrow, and we'll have our crews throughout the storm,” she added.
Pat Herald, another weather service meteorologist in the Pittsburgh office, said one of the reasons the watch was upgraded to a warning was because of the impacts expected to come from it. Because the snowfall will be at its heaviest around the evening rush hour, it will likely have a heavy impact during that time.Gibbs said one of the concerns about plowing during winter storms is that when snow is falling, motorists cannot expect the road to be fully cleared. The amount of time it takes to plow a route means snow will be on the road by the time a driver finishes his or her route.Because of this, and because of the potential for decreased visibility, drivers will need to take precautions.“Drivers just need to use some caution, drop their speeds a little bit, be aware of the conditions around them. If it's bad and they need to pull off, do it in a safe area where you won't be in the way of any cars or plows,” Gibbs said. “As always, we encourage, if (drivers) can stay home, stay home.”Steve Bicehouse, the county director of emergency services, echoed Gibbs' request, urging drivers to stay off the roads if possible.He added Butler County is monitoring the weather conditions and will be in contact with utility companies, which will help inform the county of possible outages and any need to open warming centers.
