7:15 AM
Snow-covered roads and tire pressure – what to know
While you may be looking at your tires and nothing seems out of the ordinary, if that light is on, it means your tire pressure monitoring system has detected a tire that's lower in the air than it should be.
“It's a big difference,” said Tim Dietz, owner of Troubleshooters. “If you're running with low tire pressure, your tire handling will be unpredictable, and your braking won't be predictable either. So, when you have low tire pressure, your car will be harder to drive, and harder to handle.”
At the Troubleshooting Center in Ross Township, Dietz and the crew have seen their share of what underinflated tires can do.
“Now, you're running a tire that's maybe eight, nine pounds low, and you hit a puncture and the tire is going to blow up,” Dietz explained.
The lack of air pressure causes the sides to become soft and your control to become soft as well.
Check out my full report here!
7:14 am
Morning Forecast: Expect snow to fall throughout the day
We saw the first bottom well before the second bottom, leaving a small gap. This will likely eat into our snow totals. I still expect everyone to see at least 3 inches of snow. West-facing slopes will see the largest totals and you should expect at least 5 inches.
Snow should continue to fall somewhat until 3pm and lake effect snow showers are also expected throughout the night and into the morning hours. Once the snow ends this afternoon, cold air will move in behind it. Highs on Saturday will likely be in the teens, or whatever the temperature is at midnight if it's still in the 20s.
Saturday's low will be near 10 with wind chills hovering near 0. It's going to be bad.
You can see Ron Smiley's full forecast here.
6:42 AM
“The roads have been treated, and they are ready.” PennDOT provides an update on road maintenance
WAYNESBURG, Pa. (KDKA) – This morning saw persistent snowfall, but PennDOT and other local snow crews were on standby and working to clear and salt roads, including in Westmoreland, Washington, Fayette and Greene counties.
We spoke with PennDOT District 12 Assistant Executive Director of Maintenance, Rob Dean on KDKA-TV Morning News.
He added: “The roads have been treated and are ready.”
You can watch his full interview below.
5:58 am
Watch: An exclusive interview with the Town of Cranberry's Public Works Director
CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP (KDKA) – KDKA-TV Morning News spoke exclusively with the Cranberry Township Public Works Director about how they are working to keep the roads clear, salted and ready for the morning commute despite the snowfall.
Kelly Maurer spoke with us live from the Traffic Operations Center.
She told us they currently have their regular full-time crews, 25 operators on 17 routes, and have been out since 4am
You can check out the full interview here.
5:29 AM
'Two waves:' First Warning Meteorologist Ron Smiley provides update on snow timeline
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – As you wake up to falling snow, Ron Smiley has an updated schedule on what to expect throughout the morning.
According to Ron, this now looks like the snow will come in “two waves.”
The first wave of snow is making its way and we should see a short lull in the snow from 7am to 8am
Then the snow returns for another three to four hours.
Ron has now dropped snow totals to three to six inches due to this break.
5:14 am
PennDOT is reducing speed limits in Allegheny, Beaver and Lawrence counties
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – PennDOT announced it will lower the speed limit to 45 mph on several roads in Allegheny, Beaver and Lawrence counties.
This includes I-79, I-279, I-376, I-579, Route 28, and U.S. Routes 22 and 30 in Allegheny County; Beaver Valley Expressway (I-376) in Beaver County; and I-79 and I-376 in Lawrence County.
PennDOT is urging people to avoid non-essential travel, but they are working to keep the roads clean. This does not mean that it will be completely free of ice and snow, and motorists should take all necessary precautions in case they have to drive.
