LIVE UPDATES: Wind Chill Advisory in effect for entire area

PITTSBURGH — A Wind Chill Advisory has been issued for our area from 7 p.m. Sunday night until 1 p.m. Monday.

UPDATE 11 p.m.: Bitter cold air has overspread the region and air temperatures are falling to near zero.

With a northwest wind at 10 to 15 miles per hour including higher gusts, the wind chill can reach to a dangerous level of 10 degrees below zero.

Any slushy areas will re-freeze causing slick spots.

Extremely cold temperatures will persist into early on Tuesday when the wind will shift from the south, delivering milder air, ahead of a disturbance that will bring widespread rain after midnight Tuesday through Wednesday.

UPDATE 9 p.m.: While some schools are already out for the holiday Monday, two districts in the South Hills canceled because of the frigid temperatures.

Brentwood School District is closed Monday, according to a tweet from the superintendent.

The school board meeting scheduled for 7 p.m. will still be held.

UPDATE 7:25 p.m.: All vehicle restrictions have been lifted statewide, according to PennDOT.

UPDATE 6 p.m.: A warming station will be open at the Light of Life on North Avenue in Pittsburgh.

The hours of operation are from 7:30 a.m. until 6 p.m., seven days a week.

People coming in to warm up can also grab a scarf, gloves or hat.

"Not only are we able to help people in a pinch get out of the cold, but our main goal is to form relationships with the people who come to us for whatever reason and to help them make sure they are safe this winter," said Kate Wadsworth, spokesperson for Light of Life.

UPDATE 5:30 p.m.: As the sun sets and temps remain in the teens, many roads that were slushy or snow-covered will begin to refreeze quickly.

Road crews across the city have been working tirelessly to make sure roads are cleared and treated properly, but due to the thousands of miles of streets in Pittsburgh and the sparesly populated country roads ins some of the outer counties not every road is in pristine condition.

UPDATE 3:07 p.m. Cleanup will continue with full PennDOT crews on the roads that will continue focusing on the interstates and associated ramps, as well as secondary roadways.

Crews will be watching for refreezing as the temperatures plummet into the single digits.

A spokesperson told Channel 11 despite the cold temperatures, the sun in the afternoon helped with clearing the snow and ice.

Interstates in Allegheny County are mostly clear.

UPDATE 12:54 p.m. - More of the commercial vehicle and speed restrictions on the interstates have been lifted.

the ban on commercial vehicles remains in effect on Interstate 79 north of Interstate 80; Interstate 81 north of Interstate 476 at Clarks Summit; Interstate 84; Interstate 86; and Interstate 90.

The 45-mph restriction remains in place for Interstates 79, 80 between the Ohio line and the Clearfield-Jefferson county line, 81 north of I-476, 84, 86, 90, 279, 376, and 579.

UPDATE 12:00 p.m. - Port Authority has restored all service to the "T" following a flash freeze.

UPDATE 11:00 a.m. - More of the remaining commercial vehicle bans were lifted.

The ban was lifted from Interstate 79 between the Pennsylvania Turnpike and Interstate 80, Interstate 80 between the Ohio state line and the junction with Interstate 81, Interstate 99, Interstate 180 and Interstate 376 south of Interstate 80.

The ban remains in effect on Interstate 79 north of Interstate 80; Interstate 81 north of Interstate 80; Interstate 84; Interstate 86; Interstate 90; Interstate 380; and Interstate 476, the Northeast Extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike north of Interstate 80.

UPDATE 10:07 a.m. - A Wind Chill Advisory has been issued for the entire area. It will be in effect from 7 p.m. Sunday until 1 p.m. on Monday.

UPDATE 9:52 a.m. - Meteorologist Danielle Dozier says we were close to blizzard criteria in Pittsburgh this morning.

If you want to receive BREAKING ALERTS as the forecast changes, please download our WPXI News App. You can also follow WPXI on Facebook and Twitter.

UPDATE 9:30 a.m. - Kevin Benson showed up snow totals across the area. Some places north still received nearly 10 inches of snow.

UPDATE 9:00 a.m. - Snow is moving out, but it could still take road crews a few hours to clear all the ice and snow.

UPDATE 8:34 a.m. - Channel 11's Renee Wallace says there is a few inches of snow and light flurries in Industry, Beaver County.

UPDATE 8:33 a.m. - Roads are snow covered in some spots in North Huntingdon.

UPDATE 8:18 a.m. -  The Port Authority Blue Line is back open after it was closed due to a flash freeze.

Crews continue to work on the red line.

UPDATE 8 a.m. - All four Carnegie Museums will not open until noon today due to the weather, according to a tweet from them.

UPDATE 7:41 a.m. - The commercial vehicle ban has been lifted from more interstates.

The ban was lifted from Interstate 70 from the Maryland line to Breezewood and the Pennsylvania Turnpike mainline, Interstate 76; Interstate 78 between the junction with Interstate 81 to the New Jersey state line; Interstate 80 between Interstate 81 and the New Jersey state line; Interstate 81 between the junction with Interstate 83 to Interstate 80; Interstate 476, the Northeast Extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike, from Interstate 276, the Turnpike mainline, to Interstate 80; U.S. 22 from Interstate 78 to the New Jersey state line and Pennsylvania 33 from Interstate 78 to Interstate 80.

The ban remains in effect on Interstate 80 west of Interstate 81, Interstate 81 north of Interstate 80, Interstate 84, Interstate 86, Interstate 90, Interstate 99, Interstate 180 and Interstate 380.

UPDATE 7:30 a.m. - Channel 11's traffic expert Trisha Pittman says there are still a lot of portions on Interstate 79 covered in snow.

UPDATE 7:00 a.m. - PennDOT is warning drivers to stay off the roads due to ice and snow and to let them clear the roads.

UPDATE 6:51 a.m. - Vehicles continue to get stuck going up Bates Street in Oakland. Channel 11's Mike Holden said there is a layer of ice underneath snow-coated roads.

UPDATE 6:39 a.m. 1/20 - The City of Pittsburgh is now in a Level 3 Alert, according to Pittsburgh Public Works Director Mike Gable.

Here is what that means: 

UPDATE 6:34 a.m. 1/20 - Channel 11's Mike Holden is now in South Oakland.

He says cars are pulled over and traffic is backing up off the highway due to snowy and icy conditions.

UPDATE 6:24 a.m. 1/20 - Roads are a mess after a flash freeze and snow falling in Zelienople, according to meteorologist Scott Harbaugh. Over 2 inches of snow has already fallen in the area.

>>RELATED: LIVE UPDATES: Weekend church, business closings

UPDATE 6:24 a.m. 1/20 - Channel 11 traffic expert Trisha Pittman said PennDOT crews are making progress on the Parkway West at Green Tree Hill, but snow continues to fall and temperatures continue to drop.

UPDATE 6:12 a.m. 1/20 - A car has spun out on the Beaver Valley Expressway.

UPDATE 6:05 a.m. 1/20 - Channel 11's Mike Holden said the snow is blowing sideways in Pittsburgh's Friendship neighborhood.

UPDATE 6 a.m. 1/20 - Snow has blanketed Cranberry. Channel 11 meteorologist Scott Harbaugh is calling it a "frozen tundra."

>>RELATED: LIVE UPDATES: Weekend church, business closings

UPDATE 5:26 a.m. 1/20 - PennDOT has reduced speed limits on several roadways.

PennDOT officials are urging motorists to avoid unnecessary travel, but have reduced speeds to 45mph on the following highways for those that have to head out:

• Interstates 79, 279 (Parkway North), 376 (between Mercer and Westmoreland counties), and 579
• U.S. 22/30
• Route 28

UPDATE 5:24 a.m. - 1/20 - West Penn Power is reporting that there are 859 customers without power in Westmoreland County and 213 customers without power in Allegheny County.

Officials tell Channel 11 all power will be back on by 7 a.m.

UPDATE 5:10 a.m. 1/20- Channel 11's Lori Houy is tracking road conditions across the area. The Parkway West is snow covered.

UPDATE 5:01 a.m. 1/20 - Snow is coming down in Pittsburgh's Bloomfield neighborhood, causing slick road conditions.

UPDATE: 4:50 a.m. 1/20 - Port Authority has suspended all rail service due to a flash freeze. Crews are working to restore service quickly.

UPDATE: 4:43 a.m. 1/20 - Heavy snow is now falling across most of the Channel 11 viewing area.

A winter storm that has moved across the country and into western Pennsylvania will bringing snow, sleet, freezing rain and rain Saturday into Sunday.

A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect for Beaver, Butler, Armstrong counties and points south. Some areas of northwestern Pennsylvania and the ridges remain under a Winter Storm Warning.

Gov. Tom Wolf has declared a state of emergency because of the winter storm.

Flash freeze

Wet and slushy roads will turn icy early Sunday as temperatures fall into the teens. A Flash Freeze will make walking and driving hazardous as arctic air crashes into the area.

For the latest storm updates, download the WPXI News App.

Storm ends as snow

Snow will cover the ice in many areas making conditions even worse. The highest snow totals are forecast north of the city of Pittsburgh.

The dramatic drop in temperatures and snow come as the storm moves east and arctic air crashes into the area.

RELATED: Amtrak cancels some Pittsburgh service due to weekend snowstorm

Melting the ice

Crews may struggle to clear roads and parking lots, because rain in many areas prevents pre-treating surfaces. And, you'll want to find an ice melting product that works at very cold temperatures to treat your sidewalk and steps.

Our forecast includes a drop into the single digits by Sunday night, so, anything that's not treated properly will be tough to move.

>>VIDEO: Flash freeze Sunday morning expected to be a major problem on roads

Here's a look at the effective temperature of some of the most common ice melting products.

• Rock Salt (Sodium Chloride) - 20 degrees Fahrenheit
• Calcium Chloride - negative 25 degrees Fahrenheit
• Magnesium Chloride - zero degrees Fahrenheit

Dangerous Wind Chills

Wind chills as cold as -5 F to -10 F will move in Sunday as winds gust as high as 25 mph to 30 mph. 
This Wind Chill Chart from the National Weather Service gives you an idea of how strong winds and freezing temperatures can affect your body.

Below zero wind chills will stick around early Monday and Tuesday mornings as well.

Stay with Severe Weather Team 11 as we continue to track this system. 

Cox Media Group