Region sees most accumulation in single day since 鈥楽nowmageddon鈥�
Nearly a foot of snow fell across southwestern Pennsylvania throughout the day Sunday, making it the most accumulation over a single day in nearly 16 years.
The National Weather Service measured 11.2 inches of snow at Pittsburgh International Airport 鈥� making it the 21st snowiest day on record 鈥� while the region as a whole saw anywhere between 8 and 12 inches.
鈥淚t was a widespread snowfall, but there was a little bit of variation with a little banding, so that created a bit of a variance (in snow totals),鈥� said Bill Modzelewski, who is a meteorologist with the weather service in Pittsburgh.
The snow total at the airport was the most to accumulate in one day since 11.4 inches of snow fell Feb. 5, 2010, on the second day of the 鈥淪nowmageddon鈥� storm that dumped nearly two feet on the region. Sunday was also the most snowfall ever recorded on Jan. 25, easily breaking the previous record of 5.2 inches for that date in 2014.
鈥淚t was a pretty impressive snowfall for us,鈥� Modzelewski said, adding that another inch or so could accumulate through Tuesday.
Despite the high snow totals Sunday, most county emergency management agencies around the region reported few issues as many residents stayed home and allowed crews to clear the roads.
Washington County Public Safety Director Gerry Coleman said they 鈥渦pstaffed鈥� the 911 call center for the weekend and will continue to do so for the next couple of days with bitterly-cold temperatures arriving. But the call volume wasn鈥檛 much different than a normal weekend with most people heeding warnings from public officials advising them not to go out in the storm.
鈥淥ur citizens stayed in, listened to the warnings, stayed off the street to let the road crews do their thing and allow the first responders to have the roads to themselves,鈥� Coleman said. 鈥淭hat lessened the call volume.鈥�
Besides a sledding accident in the western part of Washington County that injured a person and required first responders to trek into a remote area to render aid to the victim, Coleman said most calls were typical for a weekend.
鈥淣othing really crazy, nothing out of the norm,鈥� he said. 鈥淥ur citizens and businesses 鈥� most of them were shut down (Sunday) 鈥� and that allowed them to stay home and stay safe. That kind of thing helps us get through those things.鈥�
Washington Mayor Jojo Burgess signed an emergency declaration Monday 鈥� as did several other communities in the region 鈥� to give the city quicker access to funds over the next few days due to the amount of overtime pay for the public works crews and other departments during the storm.
鈥淚f we need funds and we need something available in the future, we want that at our disposal,鈥� Burgess said. 鈥淭he guys are working a lot of overtime and we鈥檒l have to make a few financial decisions soon.鈥�
Meanwhile, the snow caused some problems for first responders in Fayette County.
A Fayette EMS ambulance went off the road and rolled over onto its side in Springhill Township as medics were responding to an emergency Sunday, although no one was injured and the vehicle appeared to have little damage.
And firefighters battled a blaze in German Township that destroyed a house as crews dealt with snow-covered roads and distant fire hydrants. Adah fire Chief L.C. Otto said they were called to 353 Palmer Road shortly before 5 a.m. Sunday, but the wintry conditions caused some issues, along with the house蘑菇视频 remote location.
鈥淭he snow was coming down as fast as it could and we had a hard time getting water to it,鈥� Otto said. 鈥淭he house was burning for some time before the neighbor (on a hillside) above the home woke up to an orange glow (and called 911).鈥�
No one was home at the time and no injuries were reported. The state police fire marshal is investigating what caused the fire that destroyed the house.
In Greene County, no major issues cropped up during the snowstorm, although officials are now preparing for the frigid temperatures, said Emergency Services Director Richard Policz. With help from local fire departments and the Greene County Housing Authority, they were able to resolve issues stemming from people who had pre-existing furnace problems who were relying on space heaters to keep warm.
鈥淯nder normal 30-some degree weather, that蘑菇视频 fine, but when it drops down to zero, it doesn鈥檛 keep up,鈥� he said.
Several locations in Greene County have volunteered as warming centers if necessary, including seven Red Cross centers, Policz said, although as of Monday morning he had not received any requests from residents. While he couldn鈥檛 speak for the western and eastern parts of the county, the main roads around Waynesburg had been cleared as of Monday morning, Policz said.
鈥淚 was here until midnight (Sunday) night, and traveling home to eight o鈥檆lock this morning was two different worlds, so that蘑菇视频 good,鈥� he said.
From what he鈥檇 seen, the Waynesburg borough crews had also been able to make side roads passable. Greene County蘑菇视频 emergency staff are keeping an eye on the situation with temperatures projected to plummet in the days ahead.
The weather service is predicting highs to be in the low teens all week with overnight temperatures dropping into single digits or below zero. An excessive cold warning was in place from Monday night into Tuesday morning with the wind chill expected to be 20 to 25 degrees below zero.
鈥淲e鈥檙e just monitoring, and if we need to open warming centers or shelters, those plans are in place,鈥� Policz said.
He advised people to limit their time outside in the coming days, and if they do have to go out, they should wear layers. Anyone who needs to travel should have an emergency preparedness kit or other supplies in their car, he said.
Without the kind of weather that helps most snowstorms vanish without a trace, some issues could persist for a couple of weeks, Fayette County Emergency Management spokesperson Sue Kozak-Griffith said. With frigid temperatures this week, she advised people to stay inside and to have their children play indoors instead of letting them go out to play.
鈥淓verybody wants to go out and enjoy it, but it蘑菇视频 very cold, and it蘑菇视频 probably not the wisest idea,鈥� she said.
Sub-zero temperatures could lead to rivers freezing, as well as frozen pipes, Kozak-Griffith said. She suggested residents guard against frozen pipes by keeping their cupboards open and keeping a thin stream of water running. If people rely on fuel for a heat source, they should line it up now before it becomes a dire need, Kozak-Griffith said.
Kozak-Griffith also reminded people beleaguered by white stuff that this too shall pass.
鈥淚 guarantee you, within six months we鈥檒l be complaining about the heat,鈥� she said.