Wicked winter blasts area
A pedestrian crosses Chestnut Street at North Main in Washington Friday. Winter Storm Jonas hit the area mid-afternoon.
Edwin Davis shovels the sidewalk on West Hallam Avenue in Washington to get an early start Friday on the inches of snow expected from Winter Storm Jonas.
A pedestrian crosses East Wheeling Street on Washington & Jefferson College campus Friday.
A powerful winter storm arrived in Southwestern Pennsylvania Friday afternoon and is expected to dump varying amounts of snow in Washington and Greene counties before it ends today.
By 1 p.m., snow started falling in Greene County, and, at about 2 p.m., Washington saw its first snowflakes.
A winter weather advisory is in effect in Washington County until 7 p.m. today, and a winter storm warning is in effect in Greene County until 1 a.m. Sunday, according to the National Weather Service.
Brad Rehak, a meteorologist with the NWS in Pittsburgh, said snow accumulation of between 8 to 12 inches is forecast in Greene County. Washington County should expect between 4 and 7 inches.
The most intense snow was expected to fall after 10 p.m. Friday through this morning.
By 4:30 p.m. Friday, a snow band that could produce an inch of snow an hour settled over parts of Greene and eastern Washington counties.
“They’re a problem. This one could give you several inches of snow over the next several hours,” said Rehak.
Wind gusts of up to 25 miles an hour in both counties are also possible, which could complicate road crews’ efforts to clear highways and secondary roads covered with snow, and could cause power outages.
PennDOT spokesman Valerie Petersen said Friday evening 57 plow trucks were clearing the interstates and secondary state highways in Washington County and 28 plow trucks were operating in Greene County.
Supervisors were monitoring roads to determine where crews should plow and distribute salt and anti-skid materials.
“We’ve been preparing for this storm for days. Our crews are ready, we have enough salt, and we have mechanics back in the garages so that if a truck needs a windshield wiper replaced or something like that, they can get them back on the road quickly, ” said Petersen, who noted PennDOT stockpiles supplies in five locations in Greene County and eight locations in Washington County so that trucks can re-load at the location closest to them.
Greg Leathers, director of the Greene County Emergency Management Agency, said the weight from snow accumulation, coupled with those strong winds, could cause damage to trees and power lines.
“But it’s a powdery snow, not a wet snow, so it won’t weigh down our power lines as much as a wet snow would,” said Leathers.
As of 6 p.m., no power outages were reported, according to First Energy Power.
Drivers were cautioned to stay off roads.
“Just stay in,” Rehak urged residents, noting that much of the snow is falling on a weekend. “By tomorrow afternoon, conditions will be much better, and generally speaking, there’s nothing you need to do now that you can’t do tomorrow night.”
Poor driving conditions were a factor in a single-vehicle accident on Interstate 79 in Greene County Friday afternoon that resulted in injuries, according to Leathers.
As of 7 p.m., only one accident was reported in Washington County. There were no injuries.
About a half dozen members of the Bentleyville Volunteer Fire Department stayed at the firehouse Friday night to respond to emergencies.
“It’s getting pretty bad out,” said one firefighter. “There are a few cars out, but most people in Bentleyville know to stay off the roads if they can.”