Snow briefly returns to Butler, schools impacted
Three days after Butler County saw its biggest snowfall this season, winter weather struck once again on Tuesday morning, Jan. 9, if only for a few hours.
Parts of Butler County saw snow beginning to fall around 5:30 a.m. During the morning, it accumulated to more than 2 inches in some communities, according to meteorologist Matt Brudy from the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh.
“One report from West Sunbury said 2-and-a-quarter inches,” Brudy said.
The snow gave way to a wintry mix around 7 a.m., and then rain only about a half-hour later. However, the snow came just in time and for just long enough to either delay or cancel school for many children.
The school districts that closed their doors on Tuesday include Butler Area School District, Butler County Area Vocational-Technical School, Moniteau School District, Slippery Rock Area School District and Freeport Area School District.
Seneca Valley School District operated on a two-hour delay. All Butler County Community College campuses delayed opening to 10 a.m.
Karns City Area School District, Knoch School District and Mars Area School District all went to flexible or remote learning, in which students were instructed to log in and work from home.
The Saxonburg Area Business Association canceled its monthly meeting, which was scheduled for 9 a.m. Tuesday. The pickleball program at Cranberry Township’s municipal building was also canceled.
In addition to every kind of precipitation, Butler County received a heavy dose of wind on Tuesday. According to National Weather Service meteorologist Shannon Hefferan, sustained wind speeds in the area reached as high as 36 mph, with gusts as high as 43.
A wind advisory is in effect for Butler County, and will remain in effect until 7 p.m. Wednesday at the earliest.
A combination of high winds and downed trees led to scattered power outages across Butler County. As of 3 p.m. Tuesday, West Penn Power’s outage map listed 372 customers affected by outages, with 247 concentrated in Buffalo Township.
In addition, first responders in Butler County were called to five vehicle crashes on Tuesday morning.
Over the course of Tuesday, temperatures in Butler County rose as high as 48 degrees. However, Hefferan predicts the temperature will crash to near-freezing by Wednesday morning, as more snow is expected to fall. Some patches of road may be susceptible to ice in these conditions.
“The bridges and the overpasses … anything elevated is usually where the concerns are when you have 32 degrees,” Hefferan said. “The wind should be evaporating some of the water, but there could be some slick spots for the morning commute.”
Hefferan does not expect much snow to accumulate on the roads on Wednesday.
“There will be some snow, but not really accumulating. It would just be falling,” Hefferan said. “For a two-day total, you might get about an inch in Butler.”
