Weekend snowfall accumulation surprises some; Crews work to keep roads clear

PITTSBURGH — Following a midweek winter storm that left much of the Channel 11 News viewing area buried in snow, a low-pressure system on Saturday brought many inches of additional accumulation.

Severe Weather Team 11 said that an upper-level system crossed the region Saturday night, which brought some locations another 1-2 inches. Total snowfall accumulations across the region ranged from 2-8 inches, according to the National weather Service’s latest snowfall reports.

As of 1 p.m. Sunday, all advisories were cancelled or expired. The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission also lifted the 45 mph speed limit restriction placed on nearly 300 miles of the turnpike, from milepost 0 to milepost 298, on Saturday due to heavy snow.

Local crews had their work cut out for them this weekend with the additional accumulation as they tried to clear the main streets.

Officials said the weekend storm had good timing since traffic is usually a little lighter.

Pittsburgh’s Public Works Director, Rob Kaczorowski, described the difference between the storm this weekend and last Wednesday.

“This one’s a little easier on our guys. It doesn’t have that frigid rain, sleet ice -- that hard pack that forms on the roadway. This is just straight snow. It’s a little easier for us to plow and salt and clear the roads," said Kaczorowski.

Pittsburgh Public Works services more than 1,800 miles of streets and urges people to call the city’s 311 number if their street is not cleared within 24 hours after the storm.

While crews worked to make roads passable, some people were surprised by the amount of snow the region saw over the weekend.

Reginald Myers said he was not expecting the nearly 7 inches of snow that fell in Bloomfield, but said the road crews did a good job making it passable despite the slush that remained on his street late Saturday.

In Shadyside, Emily Bird was facing a different problem involving the snow.

“I lost my roommate’s keys in the snow,” Bird said.

Bird explained that she was not expecting snow when she went to clean off her roommate’s car on Saturday, resulting in the keys falling out of her pocket. Fortunately, she said she had a spare.

"I looked for a few hours today, but can't really find them. It's a little deep and now things are getting slushy," she said.

According to Channel 11 News Meteorologist Mike LaPoint, conditions will remain relatively quiet across the region Sunday with mostly cloudy skies and some widely scattered snow showers. However, Severe Weather Team 11 is tracking a lake effect that is coming in from Cleveland, moving south and east.

Go to the WPXI.com Weather page for the latest information from Severe Weather Team 11, including numerous maps and radars.

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