The latest winter storm brought a mixed bag of weather and road conditions for Northern Blair residents with snow changing to freezing rain and icing reported in some areas.
“As soon as the rain hits it turns to freezing rain. It’s a sheet of ice. The equipment and melting materials just aren’t working on it,” said Antis Township Road Foreman Bob Srock.
All Antis Township roads were down to one lane for a time this morning as road crews struggle to deal with the problem.
The entire county was under a winter storm warning which was in effect until 3 p.m. this afternoon. A wintry mix of sleet and freezing rain gradually turned into all freezing rain shortly after daybreak across the central mountains. The freezing rain was then expected to change to plain rain by around midday in the central mountains.
Ice accretion of one quarter to one half inch was expected across the region by the time the changeover to plain rain occurs, particularly on exposed surfaces such as tree limbs and power lines, as well as on untreated roadways, particularly on bridges and overpasses. In addition, some downed tree limbs and power lines were possible, along with scattered power outages. The precipitation is expected to taper off from west to east during the late afternoon and early evening hours.
One area television advised early morning viewers to stay off the roads. Weather services issued standard warnings regarding icing conditions explaining situations can deteriorate rapidly in winter weather situations. Many motorists heeded the warnings with light traffic between Altoona and Tyrone observed around daybreak. Traffic going into Altoona was only slightly heavier. Interstate 99 was slushy and slippery in spots. The exit ramp at Tyrone was particularly bad with ice over top the snow observed around sunrise.
“We haven’t had any reports of accidents yet, but the roads are poor right now,” said Tyrone Borough Officer Greg Ray this morning.
Borough road crews were out and no was available at the road maintenance office to offer details on the situation.
Ray did explain the roads had been plowed. The effort coming after snow fell prior to the change over to the “mixed bag” variety of precipitation. He also noted an effort was being made to clear Washington Avenue from 10th to 14th streets.
“We placed notices for residents to move their vehicles so we can get the plows in there today to remove the snow,” said Ray. “We may have to tow one or two, but for the most part they were cooperative.” He indicated the amount of snow was creating a problem for traffic to get through including emergency vehicles.
One Daily Herald staffer reported being stuck twice during their drive from Tipton to the newspaper offices. Just prior to their arrival, the employee’s vehicle became stuck in an icy slush in the alley behind the post office just off 11th Street.
Motorists were urged to slow down and allow extra time. They were also advised to keep an extra flashlight, food and water in their vehicle in case of emergency. Hollidaysburg State Police reported only minor accidents at the height of the freezing rain conditions around eight this morning.
In addition to road problems, the weather has led to concerns over the weight of snow and ice on roofs in the area. One local convenience store had trouble overnight. “The roof above the window is leaking, plaster is coming down. We have Uni-Mart maintenance on the way,” said Assistant Manager Patti Wertz at the Choice Store on West 10th Street in Tyrone.
Tempers flared around nine thirty this morning, when a fight over snow removal broke out on Pennsylvania Avenue near Subway in Tyrone. Observers reported the parties involved didn’t like were the other was placing shoveled snow.
The wintry mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain was affecting the Appalachians and New England throughout the day. Accuweather.com reported cold air remained entrenched across the regions. Moisture surging northward from the Southeast was pushed up and over the cold air. Those factors created a large, prolonged snow and ice event across central Pennsylvania, eastern New York and central New England.
To add to the misery index there was also a flood watch in effect for Blair County until 10 p.m. Meteorologist Paul Pastelock of Accu-Weather in State College reported a total of 3 to 4 inches of combined snow and sleet prior to the change over to freezing rain.
“Northern Blair can expect drizzle this afternoon and flurries well after midnight. Any flooding would occur near streams and creeks due to ice jams because of the slight warm up. I really don’t see it as a problem in Blair County, but there could be more serious problems to the west near Pittsburgh,” Pastelock told The Daily Herald.
