Expect 8-12 inches of snow: Region braces for 'classic East Coast winter storm'

Jan. 14—JOHNSTOWN, Pa. — A fast-moving winter storm appears to have Johnstown and the Laurel Highlands in its cross hairs.

Cambria, Somerset and eastern Westmoreland counties could see the highest snowfall totals — eight to 12 inches — before the storm moves on Monday afternoon, National Weather Service Meteorologist Craig Evanego said.

"Right now, it looks like you can draw a line from Somerset County ... to McKean and Potter counties where we could see the heaviest swath of snow," he said.

The highest elevations, such as Mount Davis and the region's ridge tops, are most likely see closer to 12 inches, according to the National Weather Service's projections.

While Bedford and east may see a wintry mix, it will likely be all snow for communities such as Johnstown, Ebensburg and Somerset, Evanego said.

A wave of low pressure dipping into the lower Mississippi valley will set up the storm, Evanego said.

"This is a classic East Coast winter storm," he said.

Expect temperatures in the mid-20s.

For Johnstown, snow is expected to develop late Sunday afternoon and become steady during the evening — remaining that way through Sunday night before tapering off into scattered snow showers Monday, as the front heads north.

Overnight Sunday, snow will be heavy at times — causing potential visibility and traction issues for motorists.

'Mad rush' for supplies

At Bantly Hardware in Dale Borough, store workers had something else to prepare for Friday — the anticipated "wave" of customers who will be making last-minute buys this weekend to get ready for the storm, head cashier Judy Adams said.

"There are the people who prepare ahead of time for winter — several local businesses bought full pallets of rock salt — and there are the ones who don't," she said.

"And we'll be seeing them this weekend. It'll be a mad rush to come in and buy things ... whether it's ice melt or roof rakes or car scrapers."

Even once the snow starts falling, there will be a steady flow of people stopping in to replace their broken shovels or buy rolls of tube sand to weigh down their vehicles for winter travel, she said.

The only difference this year is the first significant storm is arriving a bit later than usual, Adams said.

"It's just been delayed," she said. "It just means it'll probably go on for a couple of months now."

The region won't be alone preparing for the January storm.

AccuWeather was cautioning parts of Tennessee, the Carolinas and Virginia to get ready for a "dangerous" wintry mix this weekend, with ice projections threatening to lead to lengthy outages across the Tennessee Valley and the southeast.

Forecasters in North Carolina were projecting the winter storm could be the state's worst since 2018.

For Somerset County's weather-dependent winter tourism industry, the storm could be a welcome guest.

Thanks to a mild winter, a fraction of the slopes and trails at Seven Springs Mountain Resort and Hidden Valley have been open in recent days.

A burst of colder air this week is expected to enable additional terrain to be groomed for skiers Saturday, Communications Director Alex Moser said.

"Come Monday morning, it is indeed possible everything could be open," he said.

PennDOT is asking motorists to avoid unnecessary travel Sunday and Monday, which is also the Martin Luther King Jr. remembrance holiday.

Storm-related vehicle and speed restrictions will be in place in the region for several busy roadways, effective 3 p.m. Sunday.

The Pennsylvania Turnpike, U.S. Route 22 and all interstates south of I-80 — including I-99 and I-79 — will be placed in "Tier 2" of the state's weather event restriction plan.

That means the following will not be permitted to travel on the roads until the restrictions are lifted:

—Tractors without trailers, tractors towing unloaded trailers, open trailers or tank trailers — or tandem trailers.

—Designated "enclosed cargo delivery trucks" may not travel on the roads, as well as any passenger cars, including sport-utility vehicles with trailers.

—Motorcycles, RVs and buses.

Pennsylvania motorists can also visit the site 511pa.com to check conditions on more than 40,000 roadway miles.

The site provides traffic delay warnings, speed information and color-coded winter conditions.