Winter storm to deliver bitter cold, likely white Christmas
No, you won’t be dreaming — it indeed will be a white Christmas in the Pittsburgh region.
Three to 5 inches of snow and blustery cold are expected by Christmas morning, according to the National Weather Service in Moon. Higher elevations east of the city could see even deeper snow.
The forecast coincides with what is typically a busy couple of days for traveling. Despite warnings from health officials to avoid travel this holiday season, officials at Pittsburgh International Airport were gearing up for a heavy day Thursday, and AAA said it expects as many as 84.5 million people to be on the move this week. That’s a large movement of people during a pandemic.
The Weather Service issued a winter weather advisory, which goes into effect at 7 p.m. Thursday. The advisory continues through 1 p.m. Friday, Christmas Day. The advisory covers Allegheny, Beaver, Butler, Washington and Westmoreland counties and areas south and into the West Virginia panhandle.
Forecasters said a storm strengthening over the Midwest was expected to first bring rain to Western Pennsylvania, starting Wednesday night. That will be followed by a blast of bitter cold air that will change from rain to snow by Thursday afternoon and into the evening hours.
Temperatures will plunge from a high of 51 degrees on Thursday to the low-20s overnight into Friday. The cold combined with wind gusts of up 30 mph will make for wind
Some scattered snow flurries are expected Friday but with no new accumulation.
The last time the Pittsburgh area experienced a white Christmas was 2017, when a modest 1.4 inches of snow fell. Before that was 2002, which measured snowfall just shy of 2 inches, according to Weather Service records.
Allegheny County Public Works Director Stephen Shanley said his department planned to deploy at least 24 salt trucks with plows as soon as the snow begins to accumulate. He said the plan might be adjusted to bring in more drivers depending on how the storm progresses.
“The rapidly dropping temperatures following the rain and the possibility of blowing snow could create challenging conditions for drivers,” he noted. “We recommend that drivers slow down, avoid sudden stops, increase following distance, and be on the lookout for slick spots, especially on bridges and ramps.”
At Pittsburgh International Airport, airlines have been gearing up for a busy week despite the health warnings.
In anticipation of larger than normal crowds, airlines made available 10,400 seats for departing flights
Wednesday, the second highest total for the week. The highest will be Saturday, with 11,00 seats available.
Earlier this week, 8,900 and 9,300 seats were made available Sunday and Monday, respectively, according to the Allegheny County Airport Authority, The carriers anticipate the smallest loads Christmas Day, with 5,800 seats available.
The numbers are higher than normal during the pandemic. Available seats in November, for example, averaged 5,000 to 7,000 a day even with the Thanksgiving holiday.
But they are still much lower than they were last Christmas, when available seats during the holiday week ranged from 12,200 to 16,900.
On Sunday and Monday, about 4,000 people each day passed through the airport’s security checkpoints, according to the authority. Another 5,000 did so Dec. 19.
On roads and highways, travel is expected to be down dramatically compared to the same time last year, according to AAA.
The travel agency said as many as 84.5 million Americans may travel this year, but it expects that number to be nearly 34 million fewer than in 2019.
“During any other year, many Americans would be using up their vacation days by taking a year-end cruise or overseas trip, but this year we expect more people will be visiting with their families and friends virtually,” said Bevi Powell, a senior vice president for AAA East Central. “More Americans will spend time at home and in quarantine, which we believe will lead to further pent-up demand for travel when the pandemic comes to a close.”
Temperatures will plunge from a high of 51 degrees on Thursday to the low-20s overnight into Friday. The cold combined with wind gusts of up 30 mph will make for wind chills of 5 to 10 degrees on Friday, the Weather Service said.