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Another morning, another storm: a.m. commute crippled by wintry mix

PITTSBURGH — A winter mix of rain, sleet and snow made for messy roads and a slow going morning commute Tuesday.

The snow that started Monday night, continued through the overnight hours and into Tuesday morning. Most of the region, between Interstate 70 and Route 422, picked up 2 to 4 inches of snow with freezing rain and sleet mixing in at times.

The mess on the roadways prompted many schools delays and closings. For a full list, click HERE. As of 6 a.m. there were 378 closings or delays listed on the Channel 11 closings page.  As the morning progressed and road conditions seemingly worsened, many schools including Pittsburgh Public decided to close for the day.

A winter weather advisory is set to expire for most of the Channel 11 viewing area at 1 p.m.

Snow will continue through Tuesday morning, meteorologist Valerie Smock said, with decreasing clouds and decreasing precipitation as the morning continues.
Thankfully, temperatures stayed above freezing, which kept most roadways from freezing.
“Snow should wind down by lunchtime with some sunshine returning by late in the day,” Smock said.

The National Weather Service said an area of heavy snow with embedded thunder moved from near Downtown Pittsburgh northeast to Dubois. Many WPXI-TV PITTSBURGH FACEBOOK  fans reported hearing thundersnow in their area.

Forecasters say observers have reported 4.5 inches of snow in Mercer County, and Allegheny, Butler and Venango counties are each reporting 3 inches of snow.

The Pennsylvania Turnpike reduced speed limits to 45 mph along the entire turnpike system on Tuesday due to heavy snow and icy conditions. The HOV lanes along the Parkway North were also closed for the morning.

Salt shortages in many areas likely contributed to the messy road conditions. Channel 11's Britnny McGraw was in Fox Chapel early Tuesday morning, where crews were conserving salt and only began treating roadways around 4 a.m.

Channel 11's Dave Bondy reported an accident along Interstate 79 near the Evans City exit, where an armored truck overturned. There were no injuries reported.

https://twitter.com/WPXI_DaveBondy/status/435764264780185600

Tuesday's high will reach 38 degrees.
There is a chance of snow after midnight through late Wednesday morning with a little rain mixing in at the end.
“We’re not expecting much with this,” said Smock.
Wednesday’s high should reach 40 degrees and we’ll end the work week with rain and temperatures in the mid-40s to low 50s.

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