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Driving through winter: Expert tips from the weather service for a safe journey<\/p>\nA winter storm watch was issued by the National Weather Service on Thursday at 1:58 a.m. valid from Sunday 1 a.m. until Monday 7 p.m. for Southern Erie and Wyoming County.<\/p>\n
The weather service says to anticipate, \u201cHeavy lake effect snow and blowing snow today through Friday. Additional snow accumulations 8 to 14 inches in the most persistent lake snows. Winds gusting as high as 40 mph will produce significant blowing and drifting snow.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTravel will be very difficult with snow covered roads and very poor visibility at times. The hazardous conditions will impact the Thursday morning and evening commutes,\u201d adds the weather service. \u201cBegin needed preparations at home or with your vehicle. Travel may become difficult, so plan accordingly. Heavy snow will fall in relatively narrow bands. If traveling, be prepared for rapidly changing road conditions and visibilities.\u201d<\/p>\n
Driving through winter: Expert tips from the weather service for a safe journey<\/p>\n
Winter weather can make driving treacherous, leading to over 6,000 weather-related vehicle fatalities and over 480,000 injuries each year. When traveling during snow or freezing rain, prioritize safety by slowing down. In near-freezing temperatures, it\u2019s safest to assume that icy conditions exist on roadways and adjust your driving accordingly. Be cautious of ice accumulating on power lines or tree branches, which can lead to snapping and falling hazards. If possible, avoid driving in such conditions. If you must venture out, opt for routes with fewer trees and power lines. Never touch a downed power line, and immediately dial 911 if you come across one. Here are additional winter weather driving tips:<\/p>\n
Share your travel plans:<\/p>\n
When venturing out of town in hazardous winter weather, be sure to inform family or friends of your destination, your intended route, and your estimated arrival time.<\/p>\n
Prepare your vehicle:<\/p>\n
Ensure your gas tank is full and equip your vehicle with essential winter supplies, including a windshield scraper, jumper cables, a small shovel, flashlight, cell phone, blanket, extra warm clothing, drinking water, and high-calorie non-perishable food.<\/p>\n
Stay calm when stranded:<\/p>\n
If you become stranded, stay composed. Notify someone about your situation and location. Avoid attempting to walk to safety. Attach a cloth to your car\u2019s antenna or mirror to signal that you require assistance. Make your vehicle more visible by using the dome light and flashers.<\/p>\n
Be mindful of snow plows:<\/p>\n
Keep an eye out for snow plows and provide them with ample room to pass. Only overtake a plow when you have a clear view of the road ahead.<\/p>\n
Check road conditions:<\/p>\n
Before embarking on your journey, check the latest road conditions to make informed travel decisions.<\/p>\n
Stay safe on wintry roads with these valuable winter driving tips from the weather service, and reduce the risk of accidents during challenging weather conditions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A winter storm watch was issued by the National Weather Service on Thursday at 1:58 a.m. valid from…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":93387,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[136,138,137],"class_list":{"0":"post-93386","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-erie","8":"tag-erie","9":"tag-erie-headlines","10":"tag-erie-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93386","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=93386"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93386\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/93387"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=93386"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=93386"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=93386"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}