Icy conditions — and fog — expected to linger through morning commute
Cold air and icy conditions lingered early Thursday in the Greater Pittsburgh area, triggering meteorologists to extend a winter weather advisory three additional hours — through 10 a.m.
Temperatures could reach the upper 40s Thursday but hovered early in the morning around freezing through much of the region. That means freezing rain — and fog created by moisture in the air — could extend into the morning commute.
“We were expecting some of this to transition to rain but the temperatures stayed cooler — that’s why the advisory was extended,” said meteorologist Liana Lupo with the National Weather Service in Moon.
Multiple school districts throughout the area Thursday morning responded to the extended iciness by delaying openings.
The Ligonier Valley, North Allegheny, Freeport, Leechburg, Clairton and Pine-Richland school districts, among several others, announced two-hour delayed openings.
Schools north of the city — including Cranberry Area and Butler Area districts — also delayed openings. You can see a full list of school delays and closures through the list provided by TribLive news partner WTAE.
The mercury hit 33 degrees at 7 a.m. at Pittsburgh International Airport, Lupo said. Temperatures reached 35 degrees in parts of southern Allegheny County and dipped to 31 degrees further east, in both Westmoreland and Indiana counties.
The amount of ice that accumulated overnight remained unclear.
A “glaze of ice” was reported in Pittsburgh’s North Hills, in the Gibsonia area, according to one of the few readings the National Weather Service received.
Fog, created mostly because of heightened moisture in the air, is expected to clear up in much of the Greater Pittsburgh area by 9 a.m., Lupo said.
Friday’s temperatures are expected to only climb into the mid-30s, the weather service forecasted. There’s a 20% to 25% chance of snow mid-day Saturday, with rain likely creeping in around 4 p.m.
The chance of snow hits 40% on Sunday, when highs will reach the mid-30s.
Justin Vellucci is a TribLive reporter covering crime and public safety in Pittsburgh and Allegheny County. A longtime freelance journalist and former reporter for the Asbury Park (N.J.) Press, he worked as a general assignment reporter at the Trib from 2006 to 2009 and returned in 2022. He can be reached at jvellucci@triblive.com.
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