Single-digit wind chills in forecast for Pittsburgh region

A record-breaking bitter cold snap and a bit of snow are on tap for the Pittsburgh region Tuesday.

Temperatures during the day and into the night Tuesday will be about 20 degrees below normal, National Weather Service meteorologist Shannon Hefferan said.

After a high in the 50s on Monday, the high Tuesday is forecast to be only 28 degrees, Hefferan said. That would break the record low high temperature of 32 that has stood since 1934.

The low Tuesday is forecast to fall into the teens, and at 18 degrees will be close to the record of 17 set in 1911, she said. While it’s uncertain if Pittsburgh will break or tie that record, Hefferan said some areas are expected to set new record lows.

Wind chills could get down to the single digits. Hefferan advised residents to bundle up, and bring pets indoors.

Those Tuesday temperatures are well below the normals of 53 for a daytime high and a low of 36 at night.

Rain will start falling between 6 and 7 p.m. Monday and will transition to snow around midnight, Hefferan said.

Here is a timing graphic for when the rain will change to snow tonight/tomorrow morning.... pic.twitter.com/SYlfj1cw4T

— NWS Pittsburgh (@NWSPittsburgh) November 11, 2019

The Pittsburgh region is expected to get a half-inch to an inch of snow by 5 a.m., she said. An advisory has been issued for the Laurel Highlands and Mercer, Venango and Forest counties, where 2 to 5 inches is expected.

The record for snow in Pittsburgh on Nov. 12 was set in 2013 when there was 3.3 inches.

Some residents started getting ready for snow in advance of its anticipated arrival. Highland Tire in Tarentum reported customers started coming in for snow tires 10 days ago, and on Monday had cars wrapped around their building, the company said.

At Busy Beaver in New Kensington, general Manager Amanda Jobes said sales of salt and calcium chloride started last week. She said snow shovel sales don’t usually start until after the first accumulating snow and peoples’ shovels break.

Jobes said her store is well-stocked with snow and cold weather supplies, including ice scrapers, windshield washer fluid, hand warmers, wood pellets and firewood.

For clearing walks and driveways, Jobes suggests buying calcium chloride instead of salt, because it’s not as hard on concrete and salt doesn’t work below 32 degrees.

The cold won’t stick around long, with high temperatures forecast to rebound into the low 40s by the end of the week, Hefferan said. No more snow is in the immediate forecast.