Snow falling with 3 to 4 inches expected in Pittsburgh area

Snow fell as expected in the Pittsburgh area Tuesday morning, but it did not have much impact on the morning rush hour.

“Because the ground temperature is slightly warmer than the air, it doesn’t look like it’s accumulating on the roads,” said National Weather Service meteorologist Shannon Hefferan. “We still need to monitor the bridges which freeze first.”

The weather service measured just over an inch of snow at its office in Moon as of 4:30 a.m., which had gone up to 1.7 inches at 7 a.m. Between 3 and 4 inches of snow is expected over the next 24 hours, with 8 to 10 inches in the ridges to the east.

At about 6:30 a.m., interstates in Allegheny County were wet except in the north where snow is heavier, PennDOT spokesman Steve Cowan said.

“In sections of I-79 and I-279 motorists should be mindful of areas of slushy, slick roadways,” he said. “We do have our full complement of trucks out now.”

Based on the forecast, the Penn Hills School District shifted to remote learning for all students on Tuesday, and gave staff the option of working from home. Forbes Road Career & Technology Center in Monroeville also opted for virtual classes.

A listing of closures and delays is available from Tribune-Review news partner WPXI-TV.

Most of the region is under a winter weather advisory, with a winter storm warning in place for the ridges where higher snow amounts are forecast.

Just short of a half-inch of rain was measured on Monday, Hefferan said. It changed to snow around midnight, and was falling at about a half-inch per hour.

The snow is expected to end early Wednesday in the Pittsburgh area.

The high temperature on Tuesday was expected to be around freezing, with a low in the mid-to-upper 20s.

“The snow should stick around,” Hefferan said. “If people want to enjoy it and play in it, they’ll have the opportunity to do that.”