Massive Winter Storm To Wallop Pittsburgh: See Latest Info

PITTSBURGH, PA — The most severe winter weather event in more than a decade is bearing down on Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania and it likely will bring double-digit snowfall figures and extremely cold temperatures.

The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Warning that will be in effect from 7 p.m. Saturday until noon on Monday. Heavy snow is expected, with total snow accumulations between 10 and 14 inches in the Pittsburgh area. Accumulations of up to 17 inches are possible north and east of the city.

If the forecast proves accurate, this will be the most significant snowfall in the region since "Snowmageddon" dropped 21 inches of snow on the region in 2010.

The weather service also has issued a Cold Weather Advisory for the Pittsburgh area from 4 p.m. today until 7 a.m. on Saturday. Wind chills could be as low as 11 degrees below zero during the advisory period.

National Weather Service

The weather service is advising people to consider delaying all travel. If travel is absolutely necessary, people should use extreme caution.

Pittsburgh Regional Transit is warning that the storm could disrupt bus service.

"If the current forecast holds, there will most likely be several buses detoured, especially in hilly areas," the agency stated in a social media post.

"If buses are unable to get to hilly, snow covered, icy, or otherwise impassable streets, they will stick to the main roads.A good rule of thumb is that if cars can’t drive on a street, buses can’t either."

The storm will impact the entire state. PennDOT is advising people to eliminate all unnecessary travel during the storm. If travel is unavoidable, PennDOT recommends carrying a winter travel kit, keeping the gas tank at least half full, slow down driving speeds, increase following distance, avoid sudden stops, remove all snow and ice from the vehicle and do not use cruise control.

Patch will provide further updates on the storm as they become available.