The new year is expected to get off to a frigid start as a cold front coming down from Canada is forecast to bring below-freezing temperatures to the Pittsburgh area — along with a large swath of the east coast.
Beginning News Year’s Day, temperatures are expected to drop into the low 30s or upper 20s in the daytime and may drop into the teens at night, which is expected to continue through next week but could extend through a large portion of early January, said Tim Cermak, meteorologist with the Pittsburgh office of the National Weather Service.
It remains unclear how long the large trough — an area of low pressure that follows a cold front — will lead to low temperatures in southwestern Pennsylvania, but current models lean toward an extended chilly start to 2025.
“I would say there’s growing confidence that we’re going to have more colder days than we are not through the first half of the month of January,” Mr. Cermak said.
After nearly a week of nonstop snowfall, Denver woke up Saturday to the sights and sounds of shovels and plows scraping the pavement as the slow-moving storm began to move out.
DENVER—After nearly a week of what felt like nonstop snowfall, the Denver metro area woke up Saturday to the sights and sounds of snow shovels and plows scraping the pavement as the slow-moving storm began to move out of Colorado.
The system that slowly pushed its way through the state earlier this week dumped more than 19 inches of snow in parts of Denver over the past three days, according to the National Weather Service. The southeast area of the state was the hardest hit, with more than 4 feet recorded in the San Isabel area in the past 72 hours.
Interstate travel reached a standstill after major portions of Interstate 70 and Interstate 25 were shut down due to poor conditions. Gov. Jared Polis declared a disaster emergency and activated members of the Colorado National Guard as several drivers became stranded on the Eastern Plains.
Both I-25 and I-70 have since reopened, but hundreds of miles of highways remain closed in the eastern part of the state as of Saturday morning, according to the Colorado Department of Transpiration.
The Colorado Office of Emergency Management said crews have went on a total 22 search and rescue missions on the Eastern Plains, bringing stranded drivers to safety. They said rescue and recovery efforts will continue Saturday.
Stranded drivers find comfort at Hugo church as snowstorm rages on
Road conditions around the Denver metro area are slowly improving.
Denver’s Department of Transportation and Infrastructure (DOTI) wrote, “Denver’s big plows and residential plows are out this morning,” as many roads picked up more snow and slush overnight.
In other parts of the city, fallen tree limbs and collapsed roofs have been reported.
A Denver7 viewer shared photos Saturday morning of a carport roof at the Jasmine Condominiums that collapsed from the weight of the snow. The extent of the damage is unknown.
“I heard a big boom,” said Nell Narowski, a resident at the complex.
Narowski’s black Dodge was one of eight cars under the carport when it collapsed. Her car suffered a cracked windshield, and she’s waiting to see the remainder of the damages. When Denver7 arrived on scene, the vehicles were still under the wreckage.
“I have no idea how in the heck we’re going to get it out of there,” said Narowski.
Several residents told Denver7 that the building managers said they would remove the snow from other carports as a precaution. Cleanup crews were out Saturday morning, clearing out the snow.
Bonnie Wells
Carport roof collapse in Denver.
Meanwhile, thousands of people are in the dark after the epic storm knocked down power lines and tree limbs.
Xcel Energy said there were approximately 17,600 customers without power as of Saturday morning. The utility company said crews will typically focus first on repairs that will restore power for the largest number of customers. After that, crews will move to the neighborhood level, before handling individual customer outages.
Xcel Energy said many customers will be back online Saturday night, with full restoration expected by Sunday night.
CORE Electric Cooperative said around 200 members lost service during the winter storm, with most restored in a few hours. The utility said melting snow and ice could cause further service disruptions on Saturday.
Colorado snow totals: More than 4 feet of snow recorded in parts of state
As exciting as fresh powder can be, experts say it’s important to be aware of possible danger in the coming days for those venturing into backcountry ski areas. The most significant effect in the Northern Mountains will be felt from Rocky Mountain National National Park to Berthoud Pass.
“As we start getting more snow, we see the avalanche danger increasing,” said Ethan Greene, the director of the Colorado Avalanche Information Center.
The snow is expected to diminish on the plains through this morning. A winter storm warning is in effect for the Eastern Plains and continues through early Saturday.
After Saturday’s temperature of 37 degrees, Sunday in Denver will bring sunny skies and a high of 52 degrees. Denver’s 7-day outlook shows a warmer, drier weather pattern with highs in the upper 50s to low 60s through next weekend.
Because of its prolonged nature, this storm will likely be the largest the Denver metro has seen in November in nearly 30 years. The last major November storm was a two-day event on November 13-14, 1994. Officially, 12.1 inches of snowfall stacked up at Stapleton Airport, with 16.9 inches of snow overall that month.
More than 400,000 homes and businesses in Maine and New Hampshire were without power early Friday as a late season nor’easter brought heavy snow and strong winds to parts of the Northeast.
Rain moving into the Pittsburgh area Tuesday will lead to an Impact Day on Wednesday.
In the Certified Most Accurate Forecast, Pittsburgh’s Action Weather meteorologist Jill Szwed said scattered showers will begin moving into the Pittsburgh area around 10 a.m. Tuesday.
Scattered showers are expected Tuesday night.
But Wednesday is an Impact Day with isolated storms and rain expected through lunchtime with falling temperatures, and a few snowflakes later in the day.
The NOAA released its annual predictions for snowfall across the United States, showing that a moderate-to-strong El Niño winter could lead to less snow across the north.
Snowfall during moderate-to-strong El Niño winters (January-March) compared to the 1991-2020 average (after the long-term trend has been removed). Blue colors show more snow than average; brown shows less snow than average. NOAA Climate.gov map, based on ERA5 data from 1959-2023 analyzed by Michelle LHeureux. (NOAA Climate.gov)
You may need to keep your coat and umbrella on standby this week, but looking into the coming months, a warmer and dryer winter is potentially on the horizon.
The Pittsburgh region will see some chilly and rainy days with a slightly warmer weekend, but a climate phenomenon could mean an overall milder winter in the city, said Rich Redmond, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Moon.
Another system bringing cold air is moving south into the overnight Monday into Tuesday and will last through at least Wednesday, he said.
That front will likely bring the coldest air the Pittsburgh region has seen so far this fall, prompting a freeze warning for the area from midnight Monday through 10 a.m. Tuesday. Frost and freeze conditions could kill crops, other sensitive vegetation and possibly damage unprotected outdoor plumbing, NWS said.
It will be wise to bundle up Halloween night for trick-or-treating. Tuesday will see a high near 45 degrees, with the evening temperatures hovering around 40.
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has declared a Code Red Air Quality Action Day in Western Pennsylvania Wednesday due to smoke from Canadian wildfires.
TEMPERATURES ARE IN THE LOW TO MID 30’S, AND WE FACTOR IN THE WIND’S. THEY ARE GUSTING AROUND THE REGION AT 25 TO 30 MILES PER HOUR, SO IT KNOCKS THE WIND CHILL DOWN. IT FEELS LIKE IT IS 23 AS YOU WAKE UP. 24 DEGREE WIND CHILL IN UNIONTOWN AND 24 AND UNIONTOWN. IT FEELS LIKE 23 AND WASHINGTON. 22 RIGHT NOW IN INDIANA, BUT A MOSTLY CLOUDY SKY. WE DO HAVE SOME SNOWFLAKES FLYING AROUND. ESPECIALLY IN WASHINGTON, ENDING GREEN PORTIONS OF WESTMORELAND AND FAYETTE COUNTY, EVEN IN SOUTHERN PARTS OF ALLEGHENY. NOT TOO BAD THIS MORNING. OVERALL, A CHANCE FOR SNOWFALL AS WE HEAD INTO THE AFTERNOON. THAT IS WHY WE HAVE A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL MIDNIGHT. THIS IS ONLY FOR THE MOUNTAINS IN THE EASTERN PORTIONS OF FAYETTE. OTHER COUNTIES ARE UNDER A WINTER STORM WARNING THAT WILL GO UNTIL THREE TO FIVE INCHES OF SNOWFALL IN THESE AREAS
Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 found a roof ripped off a home on Pine Street in Derry Township, Westmoreland County, following Wednesday’s weather system that brought snow, rain and strong winds.
Two weeks after a broken pipe caused water to cascade into four floors at the Westmoreland County Courthouse, officials still are assessing the cost of repairs. Crews worked for nearly 24 hours to fix water damage caused when sub-zero temperatures led to a waterline break the evening of Dec. 25,
A five-year-old boy was also killed in Georgia when a tree struck the car he was traveling in.
At least six people are dead in Alabama after tornadoes struck the state Thursday, destroying homes and causing what Selma’s mayor called “significant damage.” A five-year-old boy was also killed in Georgia when a tree struck the car he was traveling in.
The Alabama deaths were in Autauga County, northwest of Montgomery, county Emergency Management Agency Director Ernie Baggett said.
He said a tornado struck the communities of Old Kingston and Marbury, with a suspected path of around 20 miles.
The gym floor at Jeannette Junior-Senior High School was damaged after flooding on Christmas but Superintendent Matt Jones said it hasn’t affected basketball games and physical education classes.
A frozen water line and broken sprinkler sent water onto the floor during the holiday deep freeze. City firefighters alerted district maintenance crews and the water was cleaned up quickly.
Efforts were made to dry the wood and officials consulted with the company that installed the floor for an inspection of the top layers and subsurface.
The district is awaiting a response from its insurance company before deciding how to restore the floor to its original condition, he said.
Jeannette was not the only school district that faced damage from water during the deep freeze around the holiday.
On Christmas Eve at Shaler Area High School, a sprinkler pipe burst around dinner time. Water expands as it freezes — it’s the only known nonmetallic substance to do so — and, as a result, can put pressure on the pipes that contain it.
Two snowmobile riders were buried and killed in an avalanche in Colorado on Saturday, according to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC).
The incident occurred around 2 p.m. on Mount Epworth, located about 6 miles east of Winter Park, CAIC officials said in a Facebook post.
One of the victims, a 58-year-old man, was found by another group on the mountain, where they performed CPR on him, but the individual was pronounced dead on the scene, according to CAIC and the Grand County Sherriff’s Office.
I want everyone who is dealing with the problems we’ve been facing, whether you haven’t been able to get to where you need to go or you’re one of our heroic Employees caught up in a massive effort to stabilize the airline, to know is that we’re doing everything we can to return to a normal operation.
And please also hear that I’m truly sorry.
Here’s why this giant puzzle is taking us several days to solve. Southwest is the largest carrier in the country, not only because of our value and our values, but because we build our flight schedule around communities, not hubs. So, we’re the largest airline in 23 of the top 25 travel markets in the U.S.
Cities where large numbers of scheduled flights simultaneously froze as record bitter cold brought challenges for all airlines.
Our network is highly complex and the operation of the airline counts on all the pieces, especially aircraft and crews remaining in motion to where they’re planned to go. With our large fleet of airplanes and flight crews out of position in dozens of locations. And after days of trying to operate as much of our full schedule across the busy holiday weekend, we reached a decision point to significantly reduce our flying to catch up.
We’re focused on safely getting all of the pieces back into position to end this rolling struggle. You know, I have nothing but pride and respect for the efforts of the people of Southwest who are showing up in every way. The tools we use to recover from disruption serve us well, 99 percent of the time; but clearly, we need to double down on our already existing plans to upgrade systems for these extreme circumstances so that we never again face what’s happening right now.
I’m apologizing to them daily and they’ll be hearing more about our specific plans to ensure the challenges that they’ve faced the past few days will not be part of our future.
I reached out to Secretary Buttigieg earlier today to continue the discussions we’ve been having with the DOT through the holiday – sharing all the things that we’re doing to make things right for our Customers.
We always take care of our Customers. And we will lean in and go above and beyond as they would expect us to. Teams are working on all of that: processing refunds, proactively reaching out and taking care of Customers who are dealing with costly detours and reroutes, as just a few examples. Our plan for the next few days is to fly a reduced schedule and reposition our people and planes, and we’re making headway and we’re optimistic to be back on track before next week.
We have some real work to do in making this right. For now, I want you to know that we’re committed to that.
Rescue crews struggle to reach stranded residents in Buffalo, New York, where dozens have been killed in winter storms
Emergency crews in New York were scrambling to rescue marooned residents from what authorities called the “blizzard of the century,” a relentless storm that has left 27 dead in the state and taken at least 60 lives nationwide, according to an NBC News tally.
In New York state, authorities have described ferocious conditions, particularly in Buffalo, with hours-long whiteouts, bodies being discovered in vehicles and under snow banks, and emergency personnel going “car to car” searching for more motorists, alive or dead.
On Monday night, US president Joe Biden issued a federal emergency declaration for the state of New York, authorising government assistance to bolster state and local recovery efforts.
As a massive winter storm continues to blast much of the US with brutal winter weather — leading to at least 37 deaths nationwide — parts of western New York have been buried by up to 43 inches of snow, leaving vehicles stuck and power out for thousands during the Christmas weekend.
A major winter storm and cold blast will impact nearly every state and bring what the National Weather Service is calling a “once in a generation type event” that will cripple travel on some of the busiest travel days of the year.
A hailstorm damaged cars and homes across Washington, Fayette, and Westmoreland Counties Sunday.
Nathan Utz in Perryopolis found dozens of small dents in his truck.
“Some things outside were blowing around, so I came out to try to recover them before they got to the neighbors. By the time we got to the garage here, it was heavy hail, at least golf ball size,” Utz said.
The hail also left numerous holes in the siding of houses.
Meldon Avenue in Donora was closed after power poles brought down lines into the street.
“I’ve never experienced hail like we did today,” Utz said.
Pittsburgh officials outlined the city’s plans for snow removal efforts this winter in a virtual meeting Tuesday evening, saying they hope to have all of the city’s roads cleared within 24 hours of snowfall. “We’re going to do all we can to make sure these streets (are clear),” Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey said. “We know that snow’s a big, big question in the city.”
Hurricane Ian is expected to make landfall in Florida in the next few hours, with wind speeds of up to 155mph meaning the storm is nearing the most dangerous Category 5 status.
The National Hurricane Center in Miami said Ian was expected to cause “life-threatening” storm surges, catastrophic winds and flooding on Florida’s southwest coast.
One person is dead and another was sent to the hospital after a plane at the Orlando Executive Airport flipped over during severe weather Thursday, according to the Orlando Fire Department.
The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed two people were inside the plane when it flipped over at about 5 p.m. The plane was holding for takeoff on a taxiway while the weather was unfavorable, according to a spokesperson for the airport.
The spokesperson said another plane that flipped over did not have anyone inside it.
“Unfortunately, that system moved in so fast, it was so severe with very heavy gusty winds that it actually flipped the airplane,” said Orlando Executive Airport director and air traffic controller, Judith-Ann Jarrette.
