Butler County’s white Christmas will arrive late this year, leading PennDOT and the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission to prepare for winter weather beginning Friday, Dec. 26.

PennDOT and PA Turnpike announced it may implement speed and vehicle restrictions Friday for the about 550,000 vehicles predicted to be on the road. PA Turnpike projects more than 7.4 million vehicles on the road for the holiday period.

“We really urge all drivers to exercise caution and avoid travel if the conditions warrant it,” said Mark Compton, the CEO of PA Turnpike. “If that is not possible, please slow down, practice safe driving habits and call *11 for any type of support while on the Pennsylvania Turnpike.”

He recommended drivers watch the weather on Friday and be prepared to make adjustments.

The organizations expect ice in the northwest and central regions of the state and snow in the north central, northeast and eastern regions. Prolonged periods of freezing rain that begin as snow are also possible throughout the state.

Road crews will pretreat roads where necessary ahead of the storm to prevent ice from bonding to the roads during early stages of the storm. The organizations said drivers may still encounter icy spots on the road and should use caution when approaching bridges and highway ramps.

Last winter, preliminary data from the organizations showed there were 8,329 crashes, 29 fatalities and 2,959 injuries on roads experiencing winter conditions. Eleven of the 29 fatalities were not wearing seat belts, and 17 were in crashes where drivers exited their lane by driving too fast for the conditions.

PennDOT recommends drivers slow down gradually, do not stop the flow of traffic, increase following distance, pull completely off the road before making a complete stop, do not pass slow-moving vehicles and do not drive impaired.