Feb 2, 2022 3 min read

A winter storm that is barreling across the country is expected to bring a coating of ice to the region Thursday night, along with possible ice jams on the Monongahela River.

Rain this afternoon through Thursday morning is forecast to gradually transition into freezing rain and sleet followed by snow early Friday, according to meteorologist Bill Modzelewski at the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh.

As of late Tuesday, Washington County was under a winter storm watch, although Modzelewski said that could change into a winter weather advisory or warning that may also include Greene and Fayette counties.

But for now, the biggest concern was for sleet and freezing rain beginning Thursday afternoon in Washington County that could bring about a quarter-inch of ice before dumping one-to-three inches of snow. Ice and snow estimates were lower in areas farther south, including Greene and Fayette counties, Modzelewski said.

“Once we get to a quarter-inch (of ice) or above, that can cause tree limbs or power lines to come down,” Modzelewski said.

“Any time you get amounts up toward that mark or higher, you usually start seeing other problems with tree limbs down, power lines down.

We’ll be making (forecast) adjustments going forward.”

Rain was expected this afternoon into Thursday morning before temperatures sink below the freezing mark, which could cause ice jams along major rivers, although Modzelewski said it was too soon to predict where problems might occur.

“We’re not forecasting outright right now, but ice jam flooding we know there is a potential for it, but not necessarily you can forecast three days ahead of time, but it will be something we’re watching,” he said.

Melissa Maczko, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Transportation, said they’re watching the forecast and preparing for equipment to hit the roads when the storm arrives.

“We’re just monitoring the changing weather conditions,” Maczko said. “We will have our crews out and ready with material prior to the storm.”

While PennDOT crews would typically use a brine mixture to pretreat roads before the storm, the steady rainfall that’s predicted would wash the mixture off the surface, rendering it useless. Maczko said people should stay off the roads unless absolutely necessary once the storm moves in.

“Ice is ice. We always advise motorists not to be on the road in an ice storm,” she said. “When they’re struck in traffic, we’re stuck in traffic.”