Cold systems continue to hit Western Pennsylvania
With another gust of winter weather blowing in Friday night, Jan. 10, Butler is again looking at a snowy, cold weekend, according to the National Weather Service.
Meteorologist Chris Leonardi from the NWS Pittsburgh station said by Saturday afternoon, Jan. 11, there may be more scattered snow showers, but any lingering snow will probably come in the form of flurries.
Somewhere around 2 inches of snow is expected around Butler County. Snow start around 8 p.m. Friday in Butler and the surrounding areas, with most accumulation was expected overnight into early morning.
The snow, along with temperatures in the teens, coincide with cold weather affecting large swathes of the country.
“Overall, this system itself is not a huge system per say, but it’s a continuation of the pattern we've seen of lower temperatures across the country. Really, that’s not going to change at a large scale,” Leonardi said.
Sunday will see drier weather, and temperatures may warm up, reaching 30 degrees on Sunday or Monday. But the area should expect another shot of cold air to follow that. Leonardi said we will be lucky to reach 20 degrees on Tuesday, and there will probably be a couple nights of single digit low temperatures.
To date, this winter is outpacing the past two winters of mild weather. Kelly Maurer, director of the Cranberry Township public works department, said while an average winter for the township has 41 inches of snow, the past two winters have only had 16 to 17 inches. This winter has already had 12 1/2 inches of snow as of Jan. 10.
“It’s so cold right now that snow is staying around so it seems like a bigger accumulation,” Maurer said. “But it seems like a more normal winter.”
Over the past few days, Maurer said the public works staffers have had days to regroup in between snow falls, with dry weather giving them time to do necessary maintenance checks. The department has 17 trucks, and mixes up how many at a time it sends out.
Cranberry has used 1,500 tons of salt so far, and its trucks have driven 10,000 miles. They normally drive 20,000 miles in a whole winter. The township’s salt shed holds 6,500 tons, and is full because they haven’t used as much the past few years.
