A group of parents got a winter weather alert Tuesday around 6 a.m. saying school was closed for a snow day.
They quickly organized a text chain, swapping questions like: Who needed boots, who could borrow a sled, and who would take the first shift watching the kids in the snow?
By 9:30 a.m., more than eight of the neighborhood’s elementary students from the Falk Laboratory School were bundled up and sledding down the large hill next to King Estate in Highland Park.
“There’s a distribution of children-watching,” said Matthew MacDonald, 46, father of a 10-year-old, Fiona. “So, there’s the ‘A team,’ (which) is on for this morning from 9 a.m. to noon. And then some other parents will take over and administer hot chocolate … it’s important to set up shifts for the day so people can do their jobs.”
The first big snowfall of the season hit Western Pennsylvania on Tuesday morning, coating the ground and roadways and closing or delaying schools.
As anywhere from 2- to 5-inch snow totals were being reported around the region, parents scrambled to figure out what to do with their kids for the day.
The heaviest of the snow moved east as anticipated, according to Timothy Cermak, meteorologist at the NWS.
@triblive It’s a winter wonderland today in Southwestern Pennsylvania. Here are some clips of the snow from around the region ❄️ #snow #pittsburgh #snowday #snowstorm #pennsylvania ♬ Chrismas – Upbeat Music
Weather experts predicted that the majority of accumulation would cease by 9 a.m. Tuesday. That turned out to be the case as groups gathered at hills across the Pittsburgh area to sled.
Squirrel Hill residents George Ellis, 43, and Russell Golman, 43, both brought their children to the hill at Schenley Park Oval to sled for the day.
At 11 a.m., Golman’s kids — Silvy, 10, and Eli, 8 — were pulling Ellis’ kids — Nathaniel, 7, and Frederick, 4 — up the hill.
“Snow days are classic. They love them,” Golman said.
Fifth graders Rowan Hobbes and Seva Korgen were excited to see the snow on the ground Tuesday morning.
Seva, 10, used the snow day to get some extra sleep. But once she was up and out of the house, she was ready for the cold.
She estimated she sledded down the hill around five times throughout the morning.
“(We) might just relax or snowball fight,” Seva said about her plans for the rest of the day.
Rowan, 10, was also anticipating having a snowball fight before needing to head back to school on Wednesday.
“Kind of sad that I still have to go back to it tomorrow,” he said.
Ten-year-old Grace Molinari shared some snow safety tips for those in the snow over the next few days.
“If you’re going to crash into someone on the sledding hill … roll over,” she said.
And for those who will be walking on areas of potential ice, Grace suggests walking instead of running and keeping your head up to see where you are going.
The outlook
Most of the totals around Pittsburgh and Allegheny County were around 4 inches. Some areas in the North Hills saw 4.5 inches.
Closer to the city itself, Cermak said accumulation was around 3 inches.
In Westmoreland County, 3 to 4.5 inches accumulated across the county, he said. Greensburg saw 4 inches of accumulation, and the lowest recent report was 2 to 2.5 inches in Lower Burrell.
The only actual 5-inch report the National Weather Service has received in Southwestern Pennsylvania was near Meridian in Butler County, according to Cermak.
The region averages 1.3 inches of snow in the first week of December, according to Matt Burdy, a NWS meteorologist. For the month of December, the region averages 7.4 inches of snow.
Order in the car
Westmoreland County Common Pleas Judge Scott Mears conducted court from his car Tuesday morning. He was stuck in the snow.
Mears told his staff and courtroom full of lawyers and defendants that a tractor trailer jackknifed on the road ahead, and he was stuck on a snowy hill.
His minute clerk manned a speakerphone in the courtroom as the judge presided over guilty pleas and other matters for defendants who were present.
“I’m on Peachtree Lane if anyone knows a tow truck driver,” Mears joked to the crowded courtroom.
Officials said they expected the judge to appear at the courthouse later in the day when he is scheduled to conduct a sentencing hearing for an East Huntingdon man convicted earlier this year for a 2024 shooting at state police troopers.
“We’re just waiting for the road to be cleared,” Mears said.
As of noon, PennDOT had removed speed limits on all roadways in Western Pennsylvania.
Westmoreland County Public Works crews spread about 100 tons of salt over 52 miles of roads Tuesday morning, according to director Dante DeCario.
Plows and trucks were out early, at about 3 a.m., and worked throughout the morning until the snowfall ended. Furloughs reduced the public works crews by 50%, leaving just four employees to plow snow and salt roadways.
“There were no hiccups and no issues. We covered the roads when it started until it stopped,” DeCario said.
Road crews will continue to be on standby throughout the day and into Wednesday should they be needed. Overtime for the employees was authorized, DeCario said.
Modzelewski said the NWS has been notified of numerous minor accidents Tuesday morning, such as cars sliding off of roadways.
He warned of low, colder temperatures Tuesday night between 20 and 25 degrees that could cause ice on roadways. “Any melting that we get from the snow on the roads could freeze tonight for any areas that are untreated,” Modzelewski said. “That’ll be something to watch for.”
Cermak agreed, warning of any untreated roads.
“Any roads that aren’t treated that see any melting this afternoon, they will refreeze tonight,” he said. “Any roads that aren’t treated will be slick still.”
The snow caused many schools to issue delays and closings. By 5:30 a.m. Tuesday, Pittsburgh Public Schools announced it was changing its two-hour delay to a full closure for the day.
Heading into the rest of the week, Modzelewski said there is a possibility for snow showers Wednesday night into Thursday morning, as well as Saturday night into Sunday morning, with the latter including rain in the mix.
“It doesn’t look like anything major at the moment,” he said. “Anything in the remainder of the week should be relatively light.”
Staff writer Rich Cholodofsky contributed to this report.
