The regional National Weather Service office in Moon Township is working through the partial government shutdown to track a winter storm that is predicted to dump a foot of snow on Butler County over the weekend.

One storm system was expected to bring 1 to 2 inches Thursday night, but a second system arriving late Friday night or early Saturday is expected to cover the county in 12 to 14 inches of snow before it ends early Monday morning.

“It will be a minimal snow event in Butler (Thursday night). We have 1 to 2 inches,” said Shannon Hefferan, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Moon.

The second system is packing more punch.

“For Butler area, we have about a foot, 12 to 14 inches in your area and north,” Hefferan said.

Forecast models show a possibility of a mix of snow and rain south of Butler County, but it shows all snow for Butler.

“We've been going back and forth with this model. Right now, Butler County is predicted to remain all snow,” Hefferan said.

The National Weather Service will likely issue a winter weather watch Friday, she said. A winter weather watch means at least six inches of snow is expected in a 12-hour period or at least eight inches in a 24-hour period.

“There could be heavier periods of snow when you have an inch an hour,” Hefferan said.

The temperature will drop to 2 degrees Sunday night followed by a high of 10 degrees Monday and a low of 3 degrees Monday night.

“After the storm, it's going to be really cold on Monday. The high will be about 10 degrees; Monday will be super cold. There might be a wind chill advisory — negative 10 to 15 Monday, but no snow,” she said.

During the government shutdown, there will be no interruption in National Weather Service forecasts and life-saving warnings on operational websites, such as weather.gov and the agency's social media platforms, according to the agency.

The National Weather Service staff is currently working on a delayed pay schedule, according to Tom Qualtere, spokesman for U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly, R-16th.

However, he said President Donald Trump signed a law that guarantees that both furloughed and excepted employees will be fully paid when the shutdown ends.

The National Weather Service is part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which is part of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

“NOAA's National Weather Service has people working 24-7 during the shutdown to perform mission essential functions to protect lives and property. Observations, forecasts, watches/warnings and all of the infrastructure to support these operations continue to be sustained, meeting all operational readiness levels. These functions are critical to providing life-saving decision support to emergency managers in every county of the United States,” the NOAA said in a statement.

The National Weather Service Employees Organization, which represents National Weather Service employees, joined other federal employee unions in a lawsuit filed against the federal government. The suit alleges the government is violating the law by requiring federal employees who are deemed essential to work without pay during the partial government shutdown.

The unions are requesting compensation for time and overtime worked, and 100 percent matching liquidated damages for all nonexempt employees covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act.