Weather service: Butler County could see heavy snow on Sunday
Western Pennsylvanians may get hit this weekend with one of the largest snowstorms in recent years.
The National Weather Service said as of Wednesday, Jan. 21, there is a roughly 50% chance Butler County will see 6 to 12 inches of snow fall from late Saturday to early Monday.
The forecast, several days out, could easily fluctuate. There’s still a 25% chance of Butler County getting less than 6 inches of snow — and a 25% chance it gets greater than 12 inches.
“We keep a close eye on things. Twenty four hours ago would not have told me too much. But the last 24 hours, we’ve seen a significant uptrend in snowfall total,” said Colton Milcarek, a meteorologist with the weather service’s Pittsburgh station.
“There’s still uncertainty. Still being a few days out, expect fluctuation,” Milcarek said.
Other weather forecasts and local news outlets have projected large snow accumulations potentially hitting the region over the weekend, though they have also shown uncertainty several days out.
The weather service said on a thread on X Wednesday that a scenario with no snow is no longer possible.
There are currently two rough scenarios on how severe a winter storm system could hit the greater Pittsburgh area.
According to the weather services, there is a possibility a storm forms south and heads toward the mid-Atlantic region, dropping heavier snow on states south of Pennsylvania. Our region would not see the worst of the snow, getting 1 to 6 inches.
The other scenario is a storm system moving up the Appalachian Mountains and dropping anywhere from six to 15 inches of snow, with higher totals possible in the mountains.
Milcarek said if the weather service gets increasingly confident in greater than 6 inches, it will be considered reaching a major impact threshold and residents should consider changing plans and making sure to stock up on supplies.
Residents should also be prepared for snow sitting on the ground to not go anywhere for at least several days.
“Any travel late Saturday through early Monday, start considering alternate arrangements. Avoid any travel if possible,” Milcarek said. “Additionally, it will be quite cold. There could be sporadic power outages. Make sure you’re prepared for cold. Even if power outages don’t occur, have blankets on standby.”
