Winter Storm Izzy dropped heavy snowfall across the county with some areas seeing more accumulation than others. Road crews struggled to keep up Sunday night, but have better expectations for Tuesday’s commute.

“We'll be doing pre-treating where we can and plowing where we need to, so we can make things as smooth as possible for the (Tuesday) morning commute,” said Christina Gibbs, spokesperson for the state Department of Transportation’s District 10.

Snow began falling around 5 p.m. Sunday and continued heavily until about 10 a.m. Monday. Instead of stopping fully, scattered show showers still added fresh coatings and additional inches.

Most of Butler County saw between 7 and 10 inches of snow, according to Shannon Hefferan, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service of Pittsburgh.

Although some Butler Eagle subscribers reported as many as 13 and 15 inches, Hefferan said their figures were confirmed through direct measurements, making them official.

Hefferan said 10.5 inches was recorded in Chicora, 9.8 inches in West Sunbury, 8 inches in Zelienople and 7.5 inches in Harmony.

Heading into Monday evening, Hefferan said the county could see some more snow, although likely scattered and with maximum accumulations of about half an inch.

“(It’s) not as significant as before,” Hefferan said. “We'll probably see some snow bands regurgitating from the northwest because of Lake Erie.”

According to Hefferan, temperatures will remain below freezing until Wednesday, when they will gradually warm.

The forecast currently shows a possible high of 40 degrees and potential for a wintry mix of rain and snow.

In Cranberry Township, public works crews began working at 4 p.m. Sunday evening and continued through the night.

“We had our normal 16 routes, and we did outfit all our additional trucks,” said Cranberry Township public works director Kelly Maurer. “We had six additional trucks with plows on them, mainly helping with our facility lots, and we did bring some additional workers in to mainly help with some cleanups.”

During the night, snow accumulated consistently with only brief breaks, according to Maurer.

“It did give us a little bit of a break in the middle of the night, but then it snowed a little bit this morning,” she said.

Maurer said forecasting technology helped the township’s crews stay on top of the storm.

“It’s probably one of the bigger ones in the last two years, but with all the technology today, we are able to forecast and prepare for it,” Maurer said.

Maurer said the township’s crews returned to service around 4 a.m. Monday to clear roads for school events and the morning commute.

The amount of snow and its frequency of falling made clearing state roads difficult too, according to Gibbs.

PennDOT crews were out throughout the evening and continued through the morning and afternoon, and some roads needed to be prioritized, according to Gibbs.

“Typically, when we get something this big we go for the high traffic roads,” Gibbs said. “They get priority to get them cleared as quickly as possible.”

Gibbs said by Monday afternoon conditions were improving, less snow was falling and crews were generally catching up to demand.

“The main roads are mainly wet,” said Gibbs around noon Monday. “We’re out working (Monday) afternoon getting the secondary roads that needed attention and dealing with drifts as these winds pick up.”

Gibbs said crews remained on duty overnight Monday.

While road conditions were a constant concern for many, Butler County saw mild use of emergency services, according to dispatchers.

Butler County Dispatch supervisor Jeff Grazier said he believed the holiday helped with the traffic too.

"It's been quiet," Grazier said. "We had a reduced amount of calls."

Many county schools did not have school scheduled Monday and some employers honor Martin Luther King Jr. day by giving their employees off.

According to Rob McLafferty, Butler County's 911 coordinator, there were 14 vehicle crashes and five calls for downed power lines between 5 p.m. Sunday and noon Monday.

McLafferty credited the many experts and authorities who gave people advanced notice of the storm and encouraged people to stay home when possible.

"I think the folks listened to all the warnings and stayed home," McLafferty said.

Slippery Rock Fire Chief Ryan Hanchosky said his department posted messaging on its Facebook page warning people about the storm.

“Everything’s been going, knock on wood, pretty well, not too bad at all,” said Hanchosky around noon.

Slippery Rock firefighters responded to only one vehicle crash call Sunday night.

One person was taken by ambulance to Grove City Medical Center for evaluation after their vehicle exited the road on Interstate 79.

In addition to its messaging, Hanchosky said 18 fellow volunteer firefighters staff the station Sunday night. He said they had a “family” meal together and spent other idle time working on projects around the station and clearing snow from its sidewalks, lots and driveways.

Hanchosky said about eight people managed to stay at the station throughout Monday morning. He said having staff already at the station helps them negate the impacts of poor weather conditions on their response times, as they are also trying to drive cautiously.

"We've really been taking proactive steps and planning for large events,“ Hanchosky said. "We just take it one call at a time and prepare for whatever gets thrown at us."

Eagle Staff Writer Julia Maruca contributed to this report.