Snow and icy conditions snarled traffic in some spots around Pittsburgh Friday, causing delays during the morning commute.
Lee Hendricks, meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh, said initial reports showed the region received half an inch of snow overnight. A wind chill of 14 degrees was reported in Pittsburgh, while Latrobe hovered around 13 degrees Friday morning, the weather service reported.
It is a chilly morning out there. pic.twitter.com/mipCCqdIkB
— NWS Pittsburgh (@NWSPittsburgh) January 17, 2020
By 6:30 a.m. several crashes were reported across the region. Southbound lanes of Route 51 were closed due to a crash on Ensign Avenue, Tribune-Review news partner WPXI-TV reported. An Allegheny County 911 dispatcher said the crash was reported around 5:40 a.m. and that medics requested the road be closed.
The TV station also reported crashes at Edgebrook and Bausman along Route 51, along with crashes in Crafton Heights and Munhall.
A school bus versus vehicle crash happened shortly before 7:30 a.m. in Sheraden at Hillsboro and Vinton streets. No injuries were reported, according to the dispatcher.
Crashes and weather conditions caused some Port Authority buses to be late, including runs for Knoxville, the Tarentum Park and Ride and the South Hills that were delayed up to an hour, according to Port Authority’s Twitter.
According to Hendricks, another round of severe weather will hit the region around midnight bringing 1 to 2 inches of snow. Temperatures will remain in the upper 20s throughout the night.
“Saturday morning will be a bit of a mess” with a chance of freezing rain and sleet, Hendricks said. An expected 1 to 3 inches of snow will fall during the day Saturday.
Wintry mix expd tonight/Sat. Snow initially overspreads region overnight-Sat AM. Snow then mixing w/ sleet&frzg rain, before changing to all rain S of I 80. Areas N of I 80 should be last to transition to rain or rain/snow mix. Winter Weather Advisories may be issued later today. pic.twitter.com/SJsYTBiDdY
— NWS Pittsburgh (@NWSPittsburgh) January 17, 2020
Temperatures hovering around the mid-40s will melt most of what accumulated, he said.
A chance of rain Saturday night could turn into snow, but Hendricks did not expect accumulation.
