Snow stacks up across Erie region

Tim Hahn, Erie Times-News
·9 min read

The team charged with clearing the roads of snow in Conneaut Township had their share of challenges on Monday.

The crew in the western Erie County municipality had more than a foot of new snow to deal with when they first hit the road at about 4 a.m.

Then one of the trucks broke down, leaving them with two plows to clear about 56 miles of road as they worked to get the third truck up and running again.

"Right now we haven't gone through the first plowing," Conneaut Township Supervisor Dan Tercho said at about 9:30 a.m. Monday.

Crews weren't just dealing with a large amount of new snow — 16 inches of it, according to what a snow spotter measured near Cherry Hill, in Conneaut Township, and reported to the National Weather Service in Cleveland earlier Monday morning.

They were also dealing with drifting snow that was getting blown back onto the cleared roadways, Tercho said.

"It's been interesting," he said.

A City of Erie Streets Department plow truck clears more than a foot of snow Monday from the northbound lane of the 100 block of Myrtle Street.
A City of Erie Streets Department plow truck clears more than a foot of snow Monday from the northbound lane of the 100 block of Myrtle Street.

The most significant snowfall in the Erie region in at least a year likely conjured up a variety of other descriptions from those who had to deal with a series of snow-related problems on Monday.

Heavy, wet snow to hit Erie region: Heavy, wet snow - as much as 18 inches - could fall on Erie County by Monday night

Heavy snow that pounded parts of Erie and surrounding counties beginning Sunday night clogged roadways and buried sidewalks, making traveling treacherous for those who weren't off work or school because of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday.

It also forced the postponement or cancellation of some programs and events, including the Erie NAACP Coalition-sponsored Rally for Voting Rights in Honor of Martin Luther King Jr. that was scheduled for noon on Monday in Perry Square.

Weather-related issues that plagued the region on Monday morning were expected to stretch into Tuesday. A winter storm warning issued by the National Weather Service in Cleveland beginning Sunday night for an area stretching from eastern Ohio through western Pennsylvania remained in place Monday afternoon and was expected to continue until early Tuesday morning.

PA weather: Erie region approaches 2 feet of snow, high winds still a concern across state

Forecasters were calling for an additional 4 inches to 8 inches of lake-effect snow for some areas into Monday evening, with blowing and drifting snow also expected to affect travel.

A healthy dose of snow

By sunrise Monday, some areas of the Erie region had collected more than a foot of new snow.

Twelve-hour snowfall totals that some local snow spotters reported to NWS Cleveland by 10:30 a.m. Monday included 20 inches near Erie; 16 inches near Cherry Hill; 15.2 inches in Wesleyville; 15 inches near McKean and 14.1 inches at the Erie International Airport.

Kristen Gawronski walks through foot-deep snow Monday in the 200 block of West Second Street in Erie, which was unplowed at about 8 a.m.
Kristen Gawronski walks through foot-deep snow Monday in the 200 block of West Second Street in Erie, which was unplowed at about 8 a.m.

In Crawford County, 12-hour snowfall totals included 10.2 inches in Meadville, 8.5 inches in Atlantic and 7 inches in Spartansburg, according to NWS snow spotter data.

The weather service reported the snowfall total at the Erie International Airport on Monday, through noon, was 11.5 inches. That's the highest "official" snowfall total for Erie in one day since Jan. 18, 2021, when 13.2 inches was measured at the airport, according to NWS Cleveland data.

Erie sat well below its monthly and seasonal snowfall averages when the latest storm kicked in after sunset on Sunday.

Through Sunday, there had been 6.2 inches of snow measured at Erie's official measuring station at the Erie International Airport for the month, a little more than 11 inches below average to date, according to NWS Cleveland data. Erie averages 31.8 inches of snow in January, according to the weather service.

Erie's seasonal snowfall total through Sunday was 13.3 inches, or 40 inches below average for this time of year, according to NWS Cleveland data.

Treacherous travel

Emergency dispatchers in Erie and Crawford counties reported dealing with a number of snow-related calls on Monday morning, but no major issues. Erie police reported that officers were handling numerous calls concerning stuck vehicles, including vehicles that were stranded on roadways and blocking plows from getting through, Deputy Chief Rick Lorah said.

Fairview Township resident Marc Stevick clears snow on Monday, his 54th birthday, near Route 5 and Lord Road. A heavy overnight snow greeted motorists at daybreak, although schools and some businesses were closed due to the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, reducing traffic.
Fairview Township resident Marc Stevick clears snow on Monday, his 54th birthday, near Route 5 and Lord Road. A heavy overnight snow greeted motorists at daybreak, although schools and some businesses were closed due to the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, reducing traffic.

Speed reductions that the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation put in place on interstates in the Erie region late Sunday remained in place Monday afternoon. PennDOT reduced the speed limit to 45 mph on Interstates 79, 86 and 90 and urged motorists to avoid unnecessary travel.

Many motorists seemed to be following the speed reduction, as vehicles traveling along I-90 Monday morning were going about 30 mph, said Lt. Gary Garman, patrol section supervisor for Pennsylvania State Police Troop E in Lawrence Park Township.

PennDOT also placed what are known as Tier 3 vehicle restrictions on the three interstates. The restrictions prohibit commercial vehicles except loaded single trailers with chains or approved alternate traction devices. They also prohibit school buses, commercial buses, motorcycles, motorhomes and passenger vehicles towing trailers on those roadways while the restrictions are in place.

The snow forced the cancellation and delay of some travel. The Erie Metropolitan Transit Authority reported Monday morning that, due to inclement weather, its fixed routes were temporarily on hold and that its Lift paratransit service would be providing only medical trips.

At Erie International Airport, American Airlines Flight 5715's planned arrival from Charlotte at 2:51 p.m. was delayed as was its expected return flight, which was scheduled to depart at 3:21 p.m.

American Flight 5068's scheduled departure at 5:50 a.m. Monday also was delayed.

Some locals found themselves getting rides to work on Monday morning because they could not get there on their own.

The Erie police's Lorah said Erie police sent some of its patrol cars out to pick up officers who were scheduled to work because they couldn't get out of their driveways.

UPMC Hamot's police and security staff used their all-wheel-drive patrol vehicles to pick up employees who couldn't drive into work Monday morning because of unplowed roads. Off-duty staff police and security staff were also called into work, the hospital reported.

Some workers opted to walk to their places of employment on Monday.

"I'm pretty used to it," Kristen Gawronski said of the heavy snow as she walked along West Second Street in foot-deep snow on Monday morning. She was headed to her job as director of pharmacy at Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital, 143 E. Second St.

"But we haven't seen one of these (storms) in a while," she said.

PennDOT crews were out in full force Monday working to clear roadways of the falling snow on 38 routes in Erie County and 37 routes in Crawford County.

The rate of snow and the gusty winds presented a challenge to the crews, but they were able to keep up and all of the interstates remained open throughout the storm, PennDOT spokeswoman Jill Harry said Monday. The agency's main trouble spots in Erie County were the interstate ramps, where some vehicles were stopping, she said.

PennDOT's crews will remain out in full and will work until the storm is over and the roadways are cleared, Harry said.

In Erie, all of the city's available plow drivers, including Bureau of Streets Chief Steve Sornberger, were out clearing roadways Monday morning.

"We're working on the mains and the inner city and trying to get through all the outlying areas," Sornberger said.

City officials reminded residents on Monday to follow the odd-even parking rules to assist plow drivers in clearing streets.

Millcreek Township resident Jay Stubenhofer on Monday clears a neighbor's mailbox near Route 5 and Westwood Drive. He cleared a path on the sidewalk earlier and said he did so for his 91-year-old neighbor who "was out doing this himself last year at age 90."
Millcreek Township resident Jay Stubenhofer on Monday clears a neighbor's mailbox near Route 5 and Westwood Drive. He cleared a path on the sidewalk earlier and said he did so for his 91-year-old neighbor who "was out doing this himself last year at age 90."

Weather cancellations

The snow was a benefit to the operators of Mount Pleasant of Edinboro skiing and tubing park in Washington Township.

Officials reported on Monday that all of the trails were open at the facility, which opened at 9:30 a.m. for the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday.

Other events weren't so lucky.

Among the things postponed or canceled were the Erie NAACP Coalition-sponsored Rally for Voting Rights in Perry Square, which was moved to a virtual event, and three of the four games scheduled on Monday afternoon as part of the MLK Dream Invitational basketball tournament at Gannon University's Hammermill Center.

The 1 p.m. game pitting the Erie High Royals against Jamestown and the 5 p.m. game pitting McDowell High School against the East Eagles in Rochester were canceled because the New York teams could not make the trip, officials reported. The 3 p.m. game featuring Erie High School against Spire Institute was also canceled. The 7 p.m. game featuring Keystone Athletic Academy against Our Savior Lutheran was still on as scheduled.

Community Blood Bank announced that it would close at 1 p.m. Monday, while officials at Penn State Behrend suspended operations on campus until 5 p.m. Monday.

The Flagship City Food Hall in downtown Erie was closed for the day, and Waste Management announced that it would not be collecting trash in its Erie coverage area, including Fairview, Millcreek and Summit townships, on Monday. Waste Management also said trash pickup would be delayed by a day for the rest of the week.

The Millcreek Township School District and Erie Catholic School System announced Monday that their schools would be on 2-hour delays Tuesday.

Tuesday will be a flexible instruction day, for all Erie School District students. Flexible instruction days are used when regular attendance at school is not possible, primarily due to inclement weather. Students will remain at home to complete their lessons via Schoology or other online platforms.

The Robert Benjamin Wiley Charter School announced that it would be closed on Tuesday.

Visit GoErie.com to check for any additional school operation changes.

Also affected by the weather is the movement of a 213-foot superload that is making its way to Wampum in Lawrence County.

Superload to travel across PA: Superload will slow traffic across Pennsylvania for nine days on way to Lawrence County

The load, which began its 400-plus mile journey from New York last week, was in Ridgway in Elk County on Monday after stopping there on Sunday morning, Harry said.

She said the load would not likely continue its journey on Monday night because of the weather.

The load is expected to travel through Venango and Mercer counties before reaching its destination.

News director Christopher Millette and staff writers David Bruce, Kevin Flowers and Valerie Myers contributed to this report.

Contact Tim Hahn at thahn@timesnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ETNhahn.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Erie weather: Snow stacks up around region