Winter weather coats county
Winter weather made its way to Butler County Thursday evening.
According to a representative from the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh, the storm started in the early evening and was expected to be short-lived.
Temperatures were forecast to be approximately 18 to 19 degrees with an inch of snow anticipated for the northern part of the county and 1 to 3 inches for the southern part.
Christina Gibbs, community relations coordinator for PennDOT District 10, said crews were well prepared for the coming snow and potential freezing rain over the weekend.
“There's room for that to change,” Gibbs said. “We'll play that by ear.”
Gibbs said 48 trucks were available to clear snow from roadways early Thursday.
Crews were expected to pretreat roads as the storm came closer and begin plowing when necessary.
Michael Mattis, Butler County maintenance manager, said they will have 24-hour coverage of roads, and that the forecast made large amounts of snow seem less likely.
Gibbs reminded drivers to be cautious.
“We want to keep the roads as safe as possible, but while the snow is falling the roads will not be free of snow and ice,” Gibbs said.
County residents can check the status of road conditions and where plow trucks are by visiting 511pa.com, according to Gibbs.
“It has the weather forecast, traffic patterns; it's a good resource and it's completely free,” Gibbs said.
