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Pittsburgh, PA – Lake-enhanced snow is expected to intensify this evening across northern Pennsylvania and portions of eastern Ohio as a Winter Weather Advisory remains in effect for counties along and north of the Interstate 80 corridor.
According to the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh, an uptick in snowfall rates and band coverage is likely as winds align more favorably for lake enhancement. The advisory includes areas from Erie and Crawford Counties east through Warren, McKean, Forest, Clarion, Elk, and Jefferson Counties, where travel difficulties may develop late Thursday into early Friday.
Official NWS snowfall projections show a wide north–south gradient. The lowest-end scenario, with a 90% chance of higher totals, places 0.5–1 inch of accumulation across most of the I-80 counties and northern Ohio. Meanwhile, the official forecast calls for 3–7 inches across northern tier counties, including Crawford, Erie, Warren, McKean, Clarion, DuBois, and Oil City, with 1–3 inches farther south toward Butler, Indiana, Latrobe, and Johnstown.
Under the high-end scenario (10% probability), lake-effect bands could briefly support 6–10 inches near the Lake Erie shoreline and along the PA–NY border, including areas near Cleveland, Ashtabula, Greenville, Oil City, and Coudersport. Totals decrease quickly south of the advisory region, with the Pittsburgh metro expected to see less than an inch.
NWS forecasters say bursts of moderate to heavy snow are possible in the advised counties tonight, leading to reduced visibility and snow-covered roads, especially on I-79, I-80, US-322, and secondary rural routes. The risk for slick travel persists into early Friday morning before conditions gradually improve.
