Winter blast drops several inches of snow across the region
A winter blast brought two rounds of snow showers that dumped several inches across the region Monday, but few issues were reported on area roads due to the number of school closures and preparation by plow crews ahead of the storm.
As of Monday morning, most areas south of Interstate 70 had received about three inches of snow while the higher elevations in Fayette County experienced around five inches of accumulation.
A lull in the action gave plow crews a chance to treat roadways, but another band of snow showers in the early afternoon brought several more inches of the white stuff, making conditions treacherous on state highways and local roads.
The snow was good news for people like Justin Long, who was using a snowblower to clear driveways and sidewalks for customers on Front Street in Brownsville. He has 10 to 15 customers on his list in the borough, so he was expecting a busy day with the multiple rounds of snow rolling through the region.
“It’s picking up,” Long said of business. “Just checking on (his customers) making sure they’re all good, and sure enough they needed some shoveling done. Hopefully we have a decent winter. I kind of like snow.”
Fayette, Greene, Washington and Westmoreland counties were under a winter storm warning that began Sunday night and lasted until 7 p.m. Monday as snow continued to fall throughout the day. Final snow totals were not immediately known because the snowfall continued as of press time, but the accumulation appeared to be in line with the National Weather Service’s prediction between six and 11 inches, with more snow farther south and in the ridges.
Washington County Public Safety Director Gerry Coleman said he thinks that advanced warning by the weather service helped people prepare for the storm and allowed schools to announce early closures.
“If you don’t have to be on the road, stay home,” Coleman said. “Plus, a lot of schools and businesses are letting people work remotely. That helps when people aren’t out on the road.”
As of early Monday afternoon, no major incidents had been reported in Washington County and surrounding areas.
“Nothing at all. I probably just jinxed us. … But knock on wood, nothing major out there,” Coleman said of the lack of emergencies.
The state Department of Transportation and Pennsylvania Turnpike reduced speed limits and placed other restrictions on their highways Sunday night into Monday, but eased them as the snow tapered off later in the day.
Greene County Emergency Management Director Rich Policz was pleased with how road crews prepared for the winter storm as they tried their best to get ahead of the weather as conditions worsened Monday.
“It’s been much better than I anticipated. … It’s coming down rather heavy right now, but nothing major,” Policz said of the lack of serious vehicle crashes as the second round of snow came through in the afternoon. “All I can say is the local road crews and local PennDOT crews are doing the best they can to keep up.”
Susan Griffith, a spokeswoman for Fayette County’s emergency management, noted that the higher elevations were blanketed with more snow, but the vast number of school cancellations helped keep buses and motorists off the roads.
“We’ve been relatively quiet,” she said. “I think just because (the snowstorm) was predicted so far out and all the schools are closed, we haven’t had many or really any significant crashes at this point.”