Lancaster, Pennsylvania – A fast-moving but impactful winter snow event will sweep across south-central Pennsylvania tonight, bringing several inches of accumulation and hazardous travel during the overnight hours. The most disruptive period targets late tonight into early Sunday morning, when snowfall rates may briefly become intense.
Snow develops this evening, becoming steadier after 7 p.m., with the heaviest snowfall expected between about 11 p.m. and 3 a.m. During that window, snowfall rates could approach one inch per hour, quickly covering roads and sharply reducing visibility. Snow tapers off toward daybreak Sunday, with most accumulation ending by around 8 a.m.
According to the National Weather Service office in State College, a Winter Weather Advisory is in effect from 7 p.m. tonight through 8 a.m. Sunday for Lancaster and York counties. Total snow accumulations are forecast to range between 2 and 5 inches, with locally higher totals possible where heavier bands linger. Communities impacted include Lancaster, York, Ephrata, Lititz, Mount Joy, Manheim, Red Lion, and surrounding rural areas.
Travel conditions are expected to deteriorate rapidly overnight. Roads may become snow-covered in a short time, especially secondary streets and untreated surfaces. According to PennDOT, bridges and overpasses will be the first to ice over, and early Sunday drivers should be prepared for slick conditions on Routes 30, 222, 283, and I-83. Anyone traveling overnight or early Sunday morning should slow down, increase following distance, and allow extra time.
Farther west across the Alleghenies, snow showers continue into Sunday night and early Monday, accompanied by gusty winds and sub-zero wind chills in the higher terrain. While Lancaster and York avoid the prolonged lake-effect snow, colder air will follow behind this system, allowing icy spots to linger into Sunday morning even after snowfall ends.
Conditions gradually improve late Sunday morning as snow exits and road crews catch up on treatment.
