Jefferson County Weather: What to Expect from the Winter Storm Coming to Western PA

JEFFERSON COUNTY, Pa. (EYT)— While winter thus far has been mostly mild, a winter storm system is set to change all that by dawn in Jefferson County.

The National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory for January 25th between 3:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Snow showers are set to begin in the night, mainly after 5:00 a.m. It’s expected that snow accumulation will be less than one inch overnight. Skies will be mostly cloudy with a low of around 25 degrees.

The Forecast

It’s likely that there will be two rounds of snow — one in the morning and another into the night.

Snow is expected before 2:00 p.m., then rain, snow, freezing rain, and sleet are likely between 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m., followed by rain and snow after 4:00 p.m. The day’s high is expected to be near 35 degrees. Winds could gust as high as 34. New snow and sleet accumulation of three to seven inches is possible. Little or no ice accumulation is expected.

Wednesday night will see rain showers before 4:00 a.m., then a chance of rain and snow showers. The low will be around 30. Southeast winds 15 to 22 miles per hour will change to the west after midnight, with gusts as high as 31.

Road Travel

The storm will impact a massive section of the country, with significant snowfall from the Midwest to the northern Mid-Atlantic and into the northeast, according to the NWS’s storm prediction center.

PennDOT has issued a Tier 1 vehicle restriction starting at 6:00 a.m. on January 25 on the following roadways:

• I-80 from I-79 to I-180 and I-99;
• I-80 from I-180 to New Jersey State Line, I-81 from I-78 to New York State Line, I-84 and I-380;
• Pennsylvania Turnpike I-70/I-76 from New Stanton Exit # 75 to Breezewood Exit # 161;
• Pennsylvania Turnpike I-476 (Northeast Extension) from Lehigh Valley Exit # 56 to Clarks Summit Exit # 131.

Tier 1 restrictions mostly affect large commercial vehicles, motorcycles, or passenger vehicles towing trailers.

Air Travel

Chicago O’Hare, a major airline hub, may be impacted by heavy snow, leading to possible airline delays. Flights around the country can be tracked using FlightAware.