Snow, freezing temperatures to hit Butler County this weekend
Light snow flurries on Saturday, Dec. 13, will give way to steady snowfall in the afternoon and evening before tapering off Sunday when the temperature will fall to well below freezing.
By the end of the weekend, Butler County could have as much as 3 to 5 inches of snow on the ground, said Andrew Kienzle, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh.
Light flurries will fall early Saturday afternoon followed by heavier snow beginning around 3 p.m. and continuing into the evening, Kienzle said. A southwest wind of 7 to 10 mph will include gusts as high as 20 mph.
Snowfall will wind down Sunday, but some areas will see scattered flurries from Lake Erie, he said. The wind will blow west at 9 to 13 mph with gusts as high as 23 mph.
A winter weather advisory is in place for 1 p.m. Saturday to 1 p.m. Sunday.
People traveling south of Pittsburgh Saturday should drive with caution because 8 to 10 inches of snow is expected in high elevation ridges south of Interstate 70, he said.
Here in Butler County, temperatures will hover around freezing Saturday before falling into the low 20s Sunday and Monday. With the wind chill, the temperature early Sunday will be around zero and then remain in the single digits the rest of the day, Kienzle said.
“A really cold start to the end of the week and the start of next week,” Kienzle said.
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission are urging motorists to avoid unnecessary travel and use caution when they drive Saturday.
PennDOT said snowfall could reach 1/2 to 1 inch per hour in some areas in the northwest and southwest followed by a band of lake-effect Sunday in Western portions of the state. Speed and vehicle restrictions will be implemented during the winter storm.
PennDOT and Turnpike crews will actively pretreat roads where necessary ahead of the storm to help prevent ice from forming a bond with the pavement during the early stages of a storm.
However, salt does not resolve all risks, and drivers may encounter icy spots on the road. With freezing temperatures, roads that look wet may actually be icy, and extra caution is needed when approaching bridges and highway ramps where ice can form, according to the agencies.
Tier 1 vehicle restrictions going into effect at 2 p.m. Saturday include the Turnpike from Cranberry Township to Breezewood, Interstate 79 from the Turnpike to the West Virginia border, Interstate 376 to the Turnpike and the entire length of the Mon-Fayette Expressway (Route 43), Southern Beltway (Interstate 576), Turnpike Route 66, the Beaver Valley Expressway (Route 60), Interstates 579 and 279, and Interstate 70 from the West Virginia border to the Turnpike.
Vehicles not permitted on affected roads under Tier 1 restrictions are tractors without trailers, tractors towing unloaded or lightly loaded enclosed trailers, open trailers or tank trailers, tractors towing unloaded or lightly loaded tandem trailers, enclosed unloaded or lightly loaded cargo delivery trucks and box trucks, passenger vehicles towing trailers, recreational vehicles and motorhomes, school buses, commercial buses and motor coaches and motorcycles.
Speed limits will be restricted to 45 mph on those roads for all vehicles while the restrictions are in place, and commercial vehicles not affected by the restrictions must move to the right lane.
