More snow, near-record cold ahead for this week
If you’re tired of shoveling snow, then you’re in for a bad time, as there may be more in store for Butler County on Thursday, Jan. 16, and that might be just the start of a brutal week of winter weather.
The National Weather Service has put a winter weather advisory into effect for Butler County and much of the rest of Western Pennsylvania, as well as parts of eastern Ohio and northern West Virginia. The advisory is in effect for a 24-hour period starting at 4 a.m. Thursday.
Matt Brudy, meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh, says that the snow will start hitting Butler County around the start of morning rush hour.
“We’re looking at anywhere between an inch to three, and it'll have an impact on the morning commute,” Brudy said. “We'll be looking at reduced visibility and slippery roadways.”
Even more snow may be ahead on Saturday night going into Sunday, as temperatures cool from a relatively warm high of 39 degrees on Saturday afternoon. However, Brudy says that this will not result in much accumulation.
“It's going to come in as a likely period of rain or maybe a potential mix of freezing rain,” Brudy said. “It's going to change over to all rain for the afternoon hours. Then we’ll get another cold shot Saturday night, which will change it back over to snow. Any water that is still sitting could freeze.”
Afterward, forecasts call for at least two straight days of brutal cold, with a high of 7 degrees on Inauguration Day, Monday, a low of 9 below 0 on Monday night, and a high of 3 degrees on Tuesday.
Brudy said that, with wind chill, temperatures in Butler could reach as low as minus 20 on both Monday and Tuesday night, with winds possibly reaching between 10 and 20 mph.
“In the summer, we get stretches of really hot days when we don’t get much relief at night,” Brudy said. “It’s sort of the same thing we’re getting now, but it’s the opposite. We're not getting much relief during the day next week, as we have highs Monday and Tuesday that are struggling to get out of the positive single digits.”
According to the National Weather Service, the Pittsburgh area hasn’t seen a high temperature below 6 degrees in January since an infamous cold wave in 1994, which led to over 100 fatalities in the northeast United States and Canada.
In fact, Brudy says that two records might be threatened next week: the lowest high temperatures in the Pittsburgh area for both Jan. 21 (5 degrees, 1984) and 22 (10 degrees, 1961).
“We have a really deep trough extending way far north out of the Arctic, and that's allowing for all of this cold air to spill very far south and bring that Arctic air down into our area beginning Sunday night,” Brudy said.
In times of extreme cold, the National Weather Service stresses the importance of the four P’s: people, pets, plants, and pipes, all of which must be kept out of harm’s way.
For those experiencing homelessness, the Glade Run Warming Shelter — located at the Grace Community Wellness Center on East Diamond Street — is available for use between the hours of 10 p.m. and 8 a.m. seven days a week.
