Snow band moves through Pittsburgh area; mid-30 degrees expected Sunday

While a snow band racked up an inch or two in the Pittsburgh area by early afternoon and up to four inches on the ridges, the region is forecast to be done with any substantial snowfall this weekend.

Expect the same old winter gray days for Saturday afternoon into Sunday where some light snow, or rain — depending on where you are — is possible, said Michael Brown, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Moon Township.

“These are basic January flurries,” he said. A fast-moving band Saturday morning quickly coated roads.

“This morning there was a very efficient snow that fell in the range of one to two inches an hour in the Pittsburgh area and I-79 corridor,” Brown said. “The environment is very favorable for the snow to lay now.”

Emergency dispatchers reported a few scattered accidents in Allegheny County while there were little to none in Armstrong and Westmoreland counties, which received a dusting of snow that accumulated on lawns but not on roadways.

PennDOT had salt trucks out treating the roads in Allegheny County since Friday night and during the heavier bands of snow that swept through Saturday morning, said Joel Morris, PennDOT spokesman for Allegheny, Beaver and Lawrence counties.

“They have a full call out that started at noon today and will run through noon tomorrow,” Morris said.

Come Sunday morning, they will evaluate and determine what is needed beyond noon.

Black ice and slick conditions are possible on untreated roads and other surfaces, Morris said.

But no more major accumulations are forecast for the rest of the weekend, except for the ridges around Somerset, which could see two to four inches throughout Saturday.

The river valleys such as Pittsburgh will have warmer temperatures throughout Saturday where temperatures might reach 35, while some hilltops might stay in the lower 30s, Brown said.

Overnight, temperatures will drop to the upper 20s and on the ridges the mid-20s, he said. There may be some light snow in places.

Then come Sunday, temperatures warm up to the mid- to upper-30s with a few light snow or rain showers with no accumulation.