Pittsburgh Being Hit With 'Life Threating Cold': Weather Service

PITTSBURGH, PA — The massive winter storm that Western Pennsylvania has been bracing for has arrived, bringing with it snow, damaging winds and what the National Weather Service predicts soon will be "life threatening cold."

A winter weather advisory remains in effect for the region through 1 p.m. Expect additional snow
accumulations between one and three inches and winds gusting up to 45 mph. A wind advisory is in effect until 7 a.m. Saturday.

A wind chill warning remains in effect until noon on Saturday, with wind chills as low as 30 degrees below zero. According to the weather service, the dangerous wind chills could cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 10 minutes.

Temperatures are expected to fall to around zero by 2 p.m. and fall below zero overnight. The high on Christmas Eve will be near 11; the high on Christmas Day will be near 18.

Plan on hazardous road conditions through Friday's evening commute, with bridges and overpasses particularly slippery.

As the storm moves through the area, PennDOT has temporarily reduced the speed limit to 45 mph on the following Allegheny County roads: The parkways East, West and North, Interstate 79, Interstate 579 and Route 28.

Shortly before 8 a.m., about 7,500 Duquesne Light customers in Western Pennsylvania were without power. In Allegheny County, the hardest-hit areas include Franklin Park, Fox Chapel, Oakland, Mt. Lebanon, Monroeville, West Deer, Turtle Creek, Sewickley, Scott, Richland, Penn Hills and West Mifflin.

Some flight cancellations were being reported at Pittsburgh International Airport.

In Pittsburgh, refuse collection scheduled for Friday has been postponed until Monday. The previously announced holiday refuse and recycling schedule will shift to a Tuesday through Saturday collection schedule next week.