Winter is not done with the mid-Atlantic and Midwest just yet. A messy mix of freezing rain, snow and sleet is moving through parts of Pennsylvania, Ohio and Kentucky on Tuesday, coating roads in a thin but dangerous layer of ice and prompting a wave of school closings and delays that is touching dozens of communities across the region.
The National Weather Service issued winter weather advisories covering multiple counties from Southwest Pennsylvania through Central Pennsylvania and into the greater Cincinnati area, with the hazardous conditions expected to linger through Tuesday morning before temperatures gradually climb and precipitation shifts to plain rain by the afternoon. Commuters heading out before that warmup should expect slick surfaces and reduced visibility in the most affected areas.
What the National Weather Service is warning
In Southwest Pennsylvania, the advisory covers Westmoreland Ridges, Fayette Ridges and the higher elevations of Indiana, Jefferson and Indiana counties. The NWS is calling for mixed precipitation with total snow accumulations of up to one inch and ice accumulations of up to one tenth of an inch. That combination is enough to create slippery road conditions, particularly on elevated terrain and shaded roadways where ice lingers longer after temperatures rise.
In Central Pennsylvania, the National Weather Service out of both State College and Pittsburgh extended the advisory further into the ridges and valleys of the region, where cold air tends to get locked in overnight and into the early morning hours. Forecasters there are warning of a glaze of ice up to a few hundredths of an inch, which while modest in total accumulation is more than enough to create hazardous spots on bridges, overpasses and secondary roads…