Category: News || By Submitted Reports

Road crews are preparing for a winter storm expected to dump 6 to 8 inches of what forecasters called "heavy and wet" snow on the Mon-Yough area through tomorrow.

Rain is expected to begin this evening in the McKeesport area, changing over to freezing rain, ice and then snow by midnight. The storm is part of a larger system that stretches from the upper Midwest through the Ohio Valley.

Workers are already pre-treating highways and state-owned roads with anti-icing materials, said Jim Struzzi, district spokesman for the state Department of Transportation.

Since Sunday, the same storm has already dumped two feet of snow in Montana and several inches of snow in Illinois. The storm could produce 10 to 20 inches of snow in the mountains of West Virginia and Virginia.

Locally, National Weather Service forecasters in Moon Township said 3 to 5 inches of snow is expected in the upper Mon Valley overnight, with a low of 29 degrees.

Another 1 to 3 inches of snow is possible Wednesday, forecasters said. Conditions should improve Wednesday night and Thursday. Allegheny, Washington and Westmoreland counties are under a Winter Storm Warning through 5 p.m. Wednesday.

State crews have adequate salt and winter maintenance materials on hand, Struzzi said, and crews and salt trucks will remain out "in full force" overnight through Wednesday.

Motorists are being advised not to travel during the brunt of the storm, Struzzi said. Tonight they should use caution and slow down, particularly on bridges, ramps and overpasses which can freeze faster than roadways, he said. More information is available at PennDOT's winter weather website, Struzzi said.

Motorists can check road conditions on 2,900 miles of state roads by visiting www.511PA.com.

(Illustration courtesy National Weather Service)

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