Pittsburgh could see up to 4 inches of snow Sunday, the National Weather Service said.
Some of the snowfall could be heavy, according to the weather service, which issued a winter weather advisory for 24 hours starting at 10 p.m. Saturday.
The advisory covers parts of Western Pennsylvania — including Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Washington and Westmoreland counties — as well as east-central Ohio and the northern panhandle of West Virginia. Snow accumulations by Sunday evening could reach from 3 to 5 inches in the affected area, the weather service said.
Drivers should plan for slippery conditions, and travel may be difficult as visibility could drop to less than a half-mile at times, according to the weather service. Officials warned high winds and freezing temperatures could make for dicey road conditions.
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation has advised motorists to avoid unnecessary travel during the storm, especially in central Pennsylvania. Travel restrictions on trucks and other vehicles are possible in some areas, according to PennDOT.
Some points south of Pittsburgh could see freezing rain instead of snow from the low-pressure system that’s advancing from the west, Shannon Hefferan, a meteorologist for the service, said on Friday.
The heaviest snowfall is likely Sunday evening, but it could continue through Monday and into Tuesday, she said.
In Allegheny County, the county public works department said it expects precipitation to continue on and off through Tuesday morning. It said total accumulations during that period could reach 4 to 8 inches and may include a light glaze of ice from freezing rain.
“A brief transition to rain is possible Monday morning that could cut down on the predicted snow totals,” public works Director Stephen Shanley said in a statement.
The county will deploy 24 plow-equipped salt trucks when the precipitation starts over the weekend, he said. The City of Pittsburgh plans to have more than 50 trucks on the 10 p.m.-to-10 a.m. shift to salt roads from Saturday into Sunday, according to a statement from the city.
On Sunday, more than 60 trucks in the city will be available for salting and plowing, the city said. Its snow-plow tracker app is scheduled to be activated starting at 10 p.m. Saturday.
Staff writers Nick Trombola and Adam Smeltz contributed.
First Published: January 30, 2021, 12:39 a.m.
Updated: January 30, 2021, 5:40 p.m.