Western Pa. schools go remote as temperatures plummet

Hundreds of Western Pennsylvania school districts have moved to remote learning Tuesday morning as an arctic blast of near-record-low temperatures are anticipated through Wednesday.

Pittsburgh Public Schools, whose 20,350 students make it the largest district in Allegheny County, will go remote Tuesday, officials said online. A number of others, including Penn Hills, Charleroi, Steel Valley and Clairton school districts, quickly followed suit.

The National Weather Service has announced a cold-weather advisory for the region.

Below-zero temperatures are expected Tuesday and Wednesday, with wind chills dropping to -17 degrees Tuesday, National Weather Service meteorologist Shannon Hefferan said.

It’s been nearly three years since Pittsburgh saw below-zero temperatures. On Jan. 27, 2022, Pittsburgh International Airport reported a reading of -6 degrees, Hefferan said.

Franklin Regional School District officials announced remote instruction “will likely be utilized” due to extremely cold conditions on Tuesday and Wednesday.

“These extreme conditions not only pose safety risks for students but can also impact the reliable operation of transportation and facilities,” Superintendent Gennaro R. Piraino Jr. said on the district’s website. “This January’s challenging weather conditions have required us to prioritize student safety while maintaining instructional continuity.”

Franklin Regional will confirm its plans through a phone-call system the evening before each school day, Piraino said.

Municipal officials also braced for the cold.

Pittsburgh’s CitiParks department Monday activated six “warming centers,” where residents can go to escape the winter weather.

Centers, including those in Brighton Heights, Homewood and South Side, will remain open 10 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, officials said.

The centers also are open Monday, when typically they would close for Martin Luther King Day.

Pittsburgh is unlikely to see temperatures reach historic lows. Record lows for Tuesday and Wednesday both stand at -18 degrees, reported in 1985, Hefferan said.

Pittsburgh’s Jan. 22 temperatures dropped to a record-low of -14 degrees in 1936, Hefferan said. This year, they’re set to reach a low of about -11 degrees.

Nearby Morgantown, W.Va., however, might experience record-low temperatures.

The city’s record low for Wednesday was -5 degrees in 1984, Hefferan said. Forecasts say the temperature there could dip that day to -7 degrees.

The Pittsburgh area isn’t expected to climb above freezing until Saturday or Sunday, when temperatures could climb into the mid-30s.

“That will probably feel balmy to some people after what they’re going to see the next few days,” Hefferan said.