Snow was falling across much of the eastern region of the United States Wednesday and while the fluttery flakes were pretty they were threatening to cause significant travel challenges for commuters.
The storm, which The Weather Channel named winter storm Petra, was making its way east and then north from the mid-Atlantic up to the northeast on Wednesday afternoon. Snow started in New York City around 11 a.m. though it had been falling in cities south of there like Washington D.C. and Philadelphia for hours.
To the west, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the snow had been falling since the morning commute. As of 8:58 a.m. EST there were 2.8 inches of snow reported in Pittsburg and more on the way. Other areas across Pennsylvania, Ohio, Maryland and West Virginia had several inches of snow reported by the morning commute. The snowfall totals for those areas are updated on the National Weather Service site and are available there.
Snow continues to overspread the region this morning, especially across portions of Delmarva and S NJ. Snow will pick up in earnest thru the remainder of the morning and into the early aftn before sleet and freezing rain move into the area from S to N. #PAwx #NJwx #MDwx #DEwx pic.twitter.com/ud1SQ7UyIE
— NWS Mount Holly (@NWS_MountHolly) February 20, 2019
In Philadelphia, there were about two to three inches of snow expected by the time the snow was over Wednesday. A bit more was expected to the north and south of the city but for the most part the accumulation was expected to stay under four inches.
There was a winter weather advisory for most of the Northeast and a winter storm warning issued for central Pennsylvania and parts of both Maryland and Virginia. But the snow wasn't expected to last very long as warm air was likely going to move in following the snow. "With strong warm air advection aloft expected during the afternoon and evening hours, a transition to sleet and then rain is expected for areas near and east of Interstate 95," said the forecast from the NWS.
The snow was causing early office and school closings across Pennsylvania. The Department of Transportation in Pennsylvania was warning drivers that roads might not be cleared for quite some time, even if the snow takes a break or appears to stop.
While snow is falling, roads will NOT be free of ice and snow. Why not? If snow is falling at 1 inch per hour, for example, and a truck takes three hours to return to the start of its route, 3 inches of snow has fallen.#PAWinter travel information ➡️ https://t.co/xBnMAKHyVI pic.twitter.com/s2JNulrP4N
— PA Department of Transportation (@PennDOTNews) February 20, 2019
Plows could be tracked online through during the snow for the entire state so residents and those trying to get home from work in the storm could see when their roads might be cleared. People in the area where the storm was expected to hit Wednesday should check their local forecasts and pay attention to any warnings from authorities and the NWS as well.
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