Pittsburgh Winter Storm: Latest Info On Timing, Snow Predictions

PITTSBURGH, PA — A winter storm warning is in place across the entire region from Saturday night through Monday morning as forecasters predict a foot or more of snow and ice could blanket Western Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania officials have declared a disaster emergency ahead of the storm.

The National Weather Service's latest update, issued Saturday morning, still calls for snow accumulations of between 10 and 14 inches. The winter storm warning begins at 7 p.m. and will be in effect until noon on Monday.

The weather service is advising people to avoid all travel and to use extreme caution if it is absolutely necessary.

South of the city, some sleet and freezing rain could mix in with the snow and keep accumulations down but that combination still will be dangerous, the weather service said.

In Pittsburgh the city currently has 75 trucks with plows and salt spreaders. Another 19 trucks have either a plow or a salt spreader, but not both.

About 40 trucks currently are inoperable because of the city's aging fleet, so the Department of >Public Works will put plows on its trash collection trucks.

A Snow Response Command Center is being established at the City-County Building, Downtown.

Sheldon Williams, the city's acting public safety director, said additional police and EMS workers are available as needed during the weekend. He did not commit to a specific number, saying that depends on the volume of emergency calls the city receives.

In preparation for the storm, Allegheny County's Public Works Department inspected its fleet of 52 salt trucks, equipped them with plows, and filled them with salt and liquid calcium chloride. They are all operational and ready for deployment.

The county has 5,689 tons of salt and 1,960 gallons of liquid calcium chloride in stock, which county officials believe will be sufficient for the storm.

When the snow begins, Public Works will deploy 26 salt trucks and will continue operations until the storm ends and all 357 miles of county-maintained roads are clear and wet. Drivers will be
working 12-hour shifts to ensure continuous coverage throughout the storm.

It typically takes about one to two hours for drivers to complete their routes and about an hour for them to return to the nearest maintenance garage, reload with salt, and restart their routes. So, during moderate to heavy snowfall, drivers should expect accumulation on county-maintained roads.