Stormy Weather
Disruptive weather from the weekend carried over into Monday and was predicted for Tuesday morning.
Butler County remains in a winter storm warning, according to the National Weather Service of Pittsburgh, until 1 p.m. Tuesday.
The weather service's forecast includes “heavy mixed precipitation” with snow accumulation estimates ranging from four to seven inches and ice accumulations of up to two-tenths of an inch.
“Travel could be very difficult,” the warning said. “The hazardous conditions could impact the morning and evening commute.”
Tina Gibbs, a spokeswoman for PennDOT District 10, said freezing rain was expected Monday night into Tuesday morning, but her crews had already been dealing with those conditions since Sunday.
“They had been out for hours getting things pretreated,” Gibbs said. “I think a lot of that did help to make sure that everything was prepared once the weather did start to fall.”
Gibbs said the treatments throughout the past few days were able to help in combating the latest storm because the wintry mix remained as the frozen variety.
“It hasn't rained, so it hasn't washed any materials off the roads,” she said. “That helps considerably as we plan for tonight and through the evening.”As of 3 p.m., only about four accidents in the county were reported through 911 services. However, it wasn't noted if they were caused by weather conditions.PennDOT District 10 imposed the following vehicle and travel restrictions:Prohibited on I-79 north and south from the West Virginia state line to Erie are empty tandem trailers, empty trailer trucks, motorcycles, permitted loads, recreational vehicles/campers, vehicles with tow behind trailers, tractors without trailers, school buses, commercial buses and motor coaches.A 45-mph speed limit restriction on I-79 extends from the Southpointe/Hendersonville interchange (Exit 48) in Washington County to the Route 228 Cranberry/Mars interchange (Exit 78) in Butler County. Commercial vehicles are restricted to the right lane only.On I-80 east and west from the Ohio State Line to the U.S. 15 North Williamsport Exit, all commercial vehicles without chains or alternative traction device onboard, empty tandem trailers, empty trailer trucks, motorcycles, permitted loads, recreational vehicles/campers, straight trailer, tandem trailers, vehicles with tow-behind trailers, tractors without trailers, school buses, commercial buses and motor coaches are prohibited.For more information about road conditions and restrictions, visit www.511pa.com.No school districts in the county conducted in-person classes and some already had Presidents Day scheduled for vacation Monday, while others used either a snow day or remote learning.Butler County Community College closed all campuses at noon Monday and will keep them closed for all day and evening classes Tuesday.Slippery Rock University has canceled all face-to-face classes Tuesday and will teach all classes remotely following the normal schedule.According to recent weather reports, schools may be forced to make another call Thursday.The weather service forecast says snow is “likely” after 2 a.m. Wednesday night, and that 60% likelihood turns into a 90% near certainty of snow Thursday that could continue into Thursday night.The forecast also shows a 50% chance of snow showers Friday morning before 8 a.m., which will be followed by a break from snow through Sunday.
