Winter storm watch issued for the region
What a difference a weekend makes.
Last Saturday and Sunday, residents of the region were throwing open their windows and dusting off their bikes as temperatures soared into the 70s. This Saturday at least, there’s a decent likelihood they’ll be putting on galoshes and getting a workout by shoveling snow, thanks to a storm system that could bring 5 to 7 inches of the white stuff starting late Friday night.
The National Weather Service in Moon Township issued a winter storm watch Thursday for the entire region, along with parts of eastern Ohio, northern West Virginia and West Virginia’s western panhandle. The storm could bring heavy snow with reduced visibilities due to falling or blowing snow. Accompanying winds and the weight of snow on tree limbs could also cause power outages. Whiteout conditions could also prevail.
The winter storm watch could be upgraded to a warning during the first half of the day Friday once the track of the storm becomes more clear, according to Bill Modzelewski, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
“It’ll be interesting to see how much we get,” he said. “A lot of the time, you can get strong systems at this time of year.”
Fluctuating weather is not all that uncommon in March, Modzelewski explained, since it’s a “transition month” between winter and spring. The first day of spring is March 20.
The storm could, alas, dampen plans for St. Patrick’s Day, the first since 2019 in which coronavirus restrictions have been removed or relaxed.
Organizers of the Pittsburgh St. Patrick’s Day parade have said it will happen regardless of the weather, and there’s a precedent for that occurring – the parade went ahead even in the midst of the 1993 blizzard that dumped 2 feet of snow on the region.