Salt trucks wait in the garage at the Cranberry Township Public Works Department, Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle

Matthew Brown

Weather forecasts are not set in stone for this weekend, but local municipalities are preparing for the possibility they’ll see large accumulations of snow.

Around Butler County, municipalities and public works and street departments have been meeting to prepare for a Sunday storm that could drop a foot of snow.

“We’re preparing just like everyone around Pittsburgh and around the region is,” said Kelly Maurer, Cranberry Township’s public works director. “We’ve spent days before now getting materials we need, getting salt delivered, prepping our people and making sure trucks are loaded. We’re getting food in here because the crews will be here longer.”

While forecasts have varied, National Weather Service meteorologists in Pittsburgh said Wednesday, Jan. 21, there was a 50% chance Butler County would see six to 12 inches of snow from late Saturday to early Monday.

As of Thursday afternoon, the National Weather Service said there were still two rough possibilities — one where cold air moves into the area and brings heavy snow and another where warmer air leads to less snow and more ice. The weather service said on X Thursday either scenario brings snowfall totals greater than six inches.

“This sounds like it’s going to be one of the more decent storms we’ve had here in a while,” Troy Douthett, Butler city councilman, said.

This week, the city of Butler had concerns over a salt shortage leading into this weekend’s storm. Other areas around the region have dealt with salt shortages in recent weeks due to high winter usage and demand.

Luckily, Douthett said the city got an additional order of salt delivered Wednesday night, helping preparation for this weekend and immediately after the storm.

“We want people to know not to be on roads if you don’t need to be,” Douthett said. “We’re just feeling relief we got the salt in (and) can help prepare for this snow.”

Cranberry Township has been closely monitoring weather forecasts. Maurer said, based on what her township has seen, it’s looking like snow accumulation could last Saturday night to Monday morning, with 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday looking like the worst.

“This is similar to other events we’ve had in the past. We’re seeing 24 hours in duration,” Maurer said. “When there’s a higher rate, higher amount of snow, we have different tiers of response. This one involves the whole township. We’re looking at parks and rec, communications, emergency services. This is a township-wide event.”

Maurer said she is meeting Friday with township administration to further plan based on updated forecasts.

She said the township has 27 crew members with 17 truck routes. Some workers with the sewer and water authority crew are drivers and can help with the trucks, she said. Contractors on call could be called in Monday if there’s snow built up on streets and cul de sacs that need cleared.

In the northern part of the county, municipalities with smaller populations have less plows, salt trucks and other resources available. They are also planning ahead of time.

John Bennett, Jr., a Mercer Township supervisor, said Mercer has three truck operators, including himself, that will be rotating throughout the day to clear roads. He said the township has been loading up on salt, mixing it with sand for road traction and going over plans for clearing intersections.

“This isn’t our first rodeo. Oftentimes we find out weather reports may be overkill, but they want the communities to be on top of it. They’d rather play it up than underestimate it,” Bennett said. “We’ll be on top of it.”