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Snow and cold temperatures to sock the region
Dan Speicher | Tribune-Review
Snow falls as Danielle Ray of Jeannette walks her four dogs at Bushy Run Battlefield Park in Penn Township on Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2017.
Arctic winds and a lake snow effect will bring the first appreciable snowfall of the season with 1 to 3 inches forecasted for the Pittsburgh area starting during the morning commute, according to the National Weather Service in Moon Township.
While snow and cold temperatures are predicted for Allegheny and surrounding counties, the weather service issued a winter weather advisory for 5 to 8 inches of snow in the Chestnut and Laurel ridges in Westmoreland and Fayette counties.
Light snow started falling in some parts of the region at 4:30 a.m. Tuesday with heavier snow predicted to arrive between 7 and 8 a.m., said Mike Fries, meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
"We have an hour or two where it will snow pretty good and accumulate," he said.
The lake effect snow will hit locally and areas north of Interstate 80 will get socked much harder with accumulations of 5 to 8 inches, perhaps a foot in some areas between early Tuesday and Wednesday, according to Fries.
Erie was already digging out the snow early morning Tuesday.
Only minor changes to the snow forecast. Once the lake snow machine gets rolling, snow bands will develop. Locations under persistent snow bands will see the higher accumulations. Areas that avoid the bands, will experience much less snow. Track the snow https://t.co/ZO6bb1fH1B pic.twitter.com/xrYNVodQYp
— NWS Pittsburgh (@NWSPittsburgh) December 12, 2017
In the Pittsburgh area, temperatures started falling early Tuesday morning with a five-degree drop within just an hour from 3:30 to 4:30 a.m., according to Fries. "It's going to get a lot colder in a big hurry," he said. Temperatures will drop from the mid-30s early Tuesday to the low 20s by mid-afternoon, then plummet further to the mid-teens Tuesday night into Wednesday morning. Wind chill could drop the temperatures down to zero late Tuesday into Wednesday, Fries said. More snow is forecasted for late Wednesday night into Thursday, with little accumulation, Fries said. Temperatures will moderate for the weekend, he said. Mary Ann Thomas is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach her at 724-226-4691, mthomas@tribweb.com or via Twitter @MaThomas_Trib.Copyright ©2025— Trib Total Media, LLC (TribLIVE.com)