Northwestern Pennsylvania is feeling the wrath of another winter blast, and Erie County is under a blizzard warning until 1 a.m. Saturday due to a pairing of heavy lake-effect snow and high winds. The rest of the region is under a lake-effect snow warning.
What is a blizzard warning?
The blizzard warning issued by the National Weather Service in Cleveland states additional accumulations of 10 to 18 inches is possible north of I-90. That amount increases to 12 to 20 inches with locally higher amounts south of I-90. Wind gusts of up to 60 mph north of I-90 are expected, and wind gusts up to 50 mpg are possible south of I-90.
How much snow is expected?
According to the National Weather Service in Cleveland, the following snow totals are predicted for the Erie area as of 9 a.m. Thursday.
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Thursday: Daytime accumulations of 4-8 inches possible.
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Thursday night: New snow accumulations of 2-4 inches possible.
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Friday: New snow accumulations of 2-4 inches possible.
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Friday night: New snow accumulations of 3 to 7 inches possible.
Power outages
High winds and heavy snowfall can cause power outages. View the map below to see how many people are impacted.
Weather-related closings
A list of school closings can be found here.
Other institutions that are closed include:
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The Erie City Mission offices are closed Thursday due to weather, but all other services are available.
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The Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest Pennsylvania is closed Thursday due to inclement weather. The Second Harvest Food Bank’s Produce Express Distribution, 1507 Grimm Drive, Erie, is also canceled.
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Stairways Behavioral Health in Erie said it has temporarily closed its mobile services, outpatient mental health clinic and outpatient addictions services clinic. Stairways said that if someone is experiencing a mental health crisis to call or text 988 or call 911 for an emergency.
Veterans urged to reschedule appointments or request telehealth
The Department of Veterans Affairs in Erie is encouraging veterans to consider rescheduling appointments or requesting telehealth appointmentsbecause of inclement weather. The Erie VA Urgent Care Center is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Stay up to date on Erie-area weather
Return to GoErie.com for updates. Get the latest AccuWeather forecast details and radar images for your ZIP code at goerie.com/weather. Download the GoErie app for iOS or Android for mobile-friendly forecasts. Tour Erie-area conditions by webcams.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Blizzard conditions, more snow in Northwest PA’s forecast
