A massive winter storm continued Sunday morning, dumping snow, sleet and freezing rain across the South and up through New England, bringing frigid temperatures, widespread power outages and treacherous road conditions to much of the nation, including Southwestern Pennsylvania.

The storm was expected to continue through Monday in a large part of the country, followed by very low temperatures, causing ice and “dangerous travel and infrastructure impacts” to linger for several days, the National Weather Service said.

A snow plow clears a deserted, snow-covered city street at night, with illuminated trees and buildings visible in the background.
Snow plows pass through the early morning snow in the Strip District on Jan. 25. (Photo by Stephanie Strasburg/Pittsburgh’s Public Source)

Heavy snow was forecast from the Ohio Valley to the Northeast, while “catastrophic ice accumulation” threatened from the Lower Mississippi Valley to the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast.

For Pittsburgh, the National Weather Service predicted continued heavy snow, a high near 27 degrees with wind gusts as high as 22 miles per hour and total daytime snow accumulation of 8 to 12 inches. In parts of Pittsburgh, the lower end of that range appeared to have been reached by mid-morning.

At 10 a.m., Duquesne Light reported no major power outages. Pittsburgh Water’s website showed no water outages.

Dorin Long, of Garfield, a City of Pittsburgh Department of Public Works employee, clears snow from the sidewalk in Polish Hill on Jan. 25. Mayor Corey O’Connor said the Department of Public Works has 75 trucks with plows and salt spreaders ready for the storm. (Photo by Stephanie Strasburg/Pittsburgh’s Public Source)

Mayor: Stay home, check on neighbors

Mayor Corey O’Connor said during a Friday press conference the city was preparing for a “worst-case scenario.”

“Please check on your neighbors, your family, your friends,” O’Connor said.

A handwritten sign on an Amtrak window informs customers of closure due to weather and provides a phone number for assistance; another sign lists a contact number for train inquiries.
A train cancellation notice hangs on the Amtrak station window in Downtown on Jan. 25. (Photo by Stephanie Strasburg/Pittsburgh’s Public Source)

He said he believes the city has sufficient salt (8,000 tons) and that garbage and recycling trucks would attach plows to supplement the city’s snow plow fleet.

He said the Department of Public Works has 75 trucks with plows and salt spreaders ready, though the number is short dozens of trucks that are in need of repairs or replacement.

“We are asking residents … stick to main roads if you can. If you don’t have to go out, please stay home,” O’Connor said.

He urged residents to call 311, not 911, for snow removal concerns.

Trash collection for Monday has been postponed, and crews “are going to focus on snow removal.”

A snow-covered alley at night with a few people walking, footprints in the snow, and illuminated buildings on either side.
A person pulls their hood over their head as they walk through the snow in Downtown along Strawberry Way on Jan. 25. (Photo by Stephanie Strasburg/Pittsburgh’s Public Source)

President issues emergency declarations

More than 100,000 customers were without power in Tennessee and Texas Sunday morning, with another 100,000 in Mississippi and more than 84,000 in Louisiana also without electricity, according to the online tracker poweroutage.com.

More than 10,000 flights had already been canceled Sunday and another 8,000 have been delayed, according to the flight tracker flightaware.com.

A person rides a bike down a snow-covered city street lined with parked rental bikes and illuminated signs on nearby buildings.
A person bikes through the snow through the Cultural District in Downtown, on Jan. 25. (Photo by Stephanie Strasburg/Pittsburgh’s Public Source)

President Donald Trump had approved emergency declarations for at least a dozen states by Saturday, with more expected to come. The Federal Emergency Management Agency pre-positioned commodities, staff and search and rescue teams in numerous states, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said.

Want to share your neighborhood’s situation with Pittsburgh’s Public Source readers? If so, email rich@publicsource.org.

Rich Lord is the managing editor at Pittsburgh’s Public Source and can be reached at rich@publicsource.org.

Charlie Wolfson is the local government reporter for Pittsburgh’s Public Source. He can be reached at charlie@publicsource.org.

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Rich is the managing editor of Pittsburgh's Public Source. He joined the team in 2020, serving as a reporter focused on housing and economic development and an assistant editor. He reported for the Pittsburgh...

Charlie Wolfson is an enterprise reporter for Pittsburgh's Public Source, focusing on local government accountability and politics in Pittsburgh and Allegheny County. He was a Report for America corps...