Butler County Emergency Services officials are urging residents to stay home and avoid travel if at all possible during this weekend’s winter storm set to wallop the region with heavy snow.

“If you don’t have to go out, don’t go out,” Butler County Emergency Services specialist Amy Marree said. “Don’t put yourself in a position where you need rescued and don’t put first responders in an unsafe position.”

National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning that will be in effect starting 7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 24, through noon on Monday.

Many municipalities across the county have begun to alert residents of what the storm will bring.

In a joint declaration on Friday night, Mars proclaimed a disaster emergency and Adams Township issued a snow emergency. Both take effect on midnight Saturday and last until 7 p.m. Monday.

Meanwhile, Cranberry Township officials, through the township’s Facebook page, are reminding residents not to park on township streets to give the public works department ample space to clear snow.

They also said residents should adhere to the 10-foot rule by keeping basketball hoops, snow forts, parked cars and non-permanent seasonal items 10 feet from the edge of the street. They asked resident to not move snow from driveways and sidewalks into the paved street.

While there’s a chance for flurries between 3 and 7 p.m. Saturday, the real accumulating snow may not start until midnight or 1 a.m. Sunday morning, said weather service meteorologist Jason Frazier.

“Our forecasted snowfall total for the Cranberry and for most of the Butler County area is between 9 to 13 inches with potential to see a little bit more than that,” he said.

Between 1 and 7 a.m. Sunday is when the area will receive its first 1 to 2 inches of accumulation, Frazier said.

Despite the total accumulation figures, one positive is the snow is expected to be dry, reducing the stress on power lines and the risk of major outages.

County officials said they will remain in constant communication with the weather service and utility providers, including FirstEnergy and Central Electric.

Beyond travel hazards, officials warned of an increased risk of carbon monoxide poisoning this weekend, especially if power outages occur.

“One of the things we unfortunately see during storms and cold events is an increase in carbon monoxide poisonings,” Butler County 911 coordinator Robert McLafferty said.

Common sources include furnaces, generators, grills and vehicle exhaust, he said.

He warned residents to never run generators inside homes or too close to buildings and cautioned against using gas stoves or ovens as a heat source.

“Carbon monoxide is odorless, colorless and tasteless,” McLafferty said. “They need to have a CO detector If you have a CO detector and it goes off, believe it. Have somebody check that. Don’t assume it’s a bad alarm.”

Officials also advise anyone stranded in a vehicle to ensure exhaust pipes remain clear of snow to prevent dangerous fumes from entering the car.

As temperatures are expected to remain dangerously cold even after the storm passes, officials urged residents to check on vulnerable neighbors and bring pets indoors.

“Be a good neighbor,” Marree said. “Check on elderly residents, people with medical needs and make sure pets are safe as well. Just because they have fur doesn’t mean they’re protected from extreme cold.”

Residents in need of non-emergency assistance are encouraged to call 211, a free, 24-hour service that connects callers with community resources such as utility assistance, housing help and other services.

Officials also reassured residents emergency response operations will remain fully staffed throughout the storm.

“Our 911 center is fully staffed and Saturday through the majority of the storm we will be actually above our minimum staffing levels,” McLafferty said. “The emergency management agency here is activated and we’ll remain in complete communication with our partners and the public as much as we can.”

The county recently launched a new mass notification system called Regroup.

Officials said alerts will be reserved for major incidents such as 911 outages or other significant emergencies, rather than routine weather updates. Information on signing up is available on the county’s website and Facebook page.