State College, Pennsylvania – Drivers across central Pennsylvania should prepare now as freezing rain develops as early as 1 a.m. Tuesday in the southwest and spreads northeast by daybreak, threatening to coat major highways with up to one tenth of an inch of ice before the morning commute peaks.
According to the National Weather Service in State College, Winter Weather Advisories remain in effect across much of central Pennsylvania at staggered times Tuesday morning. Ice accumulations up to 0.10 inches and snow totals under 1 inch are expected from Cambria and Somerset counties through Harrisburg, State College, Williamsport and north to Warren and McKean counties. Advisories begin between 1 a.m. and 8 a.m. Tuesday and expire between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m.
Bridges and elevated stretches of Interstate 80, Interstate 99, Route 322 and the Pennsylvania Turnpike could become slick before sunrise. Higher elevations in Clearfield, Potter, Tioga and the Laurel Highlands may hold freezing temperatures longer, allowing icy patches to persist into early afternoon.
PennDOT urges motorists to slow down and check 511PA for live road conditions. Untreated secondary roads, sidewalks and parking lots may also turn slippery. Some isolated power outages are possible where ice clings to tree limbs.
Most advisories expire by midafternoon Tuesday, but additional updates are possible if temperatures struggle to rise above freezing.
