Winter storm warning for ridges of Westmoreland, Fayette counties

Paul Guggenheimer | Sunday, January 24, 2021 9:04 p.m.

A 2019 scene at West Park in Pittsburgh’s North Side.

A winter storm warning goes into effect Monday afternoon for the ridges of Westmoreland and Fayette counties, according to the National Weather Service.

This might be upgraded to an ice storm warning as up to a quarter-inch of ice could accumulate on some roads, making driving conditions dangerous and threatening to down trees and power lines in elevated areas, the NWS said.

The winter storm warning will be in effect from 2 p.m. Monday until 10 a.m. Tuesday.

“We have a low pressure system coming up from the south and the ground is cold, it’s been below freezing for a while,” said Michael Brown, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Moon. “You might see some snow initially but the precipitation is going to turn to freezing rain and that’s going to be the threat for us in the early evening and into early Tuesday.”

Brown said the main threat will be over the higher elevations, which will be colder and could see freezing rain over a longer period of time.

“The main concerns are going to be travel on roadways, especially anything elevated or untreated where there’s going to be a glaze on the surface,” said Brown. “We could definitely see some power lines down.”

Brown said motorists should use caution especially on the I-68 corridor in West Virginia and Maryland and on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, especially in the higher elevations in places like the Somerset area.