Dig out those snow brushes and shovels, because wintry weather
is expected to make a big entrance into the area today in a storm
that could carry up to a foot of snow in higher elevations.

“The precipitation will fall as a mix of rain and snow in the
valleys,” explained Geoff Cornish, meteorologist with Penn State
University. “Almost all of it will be snow in the elevations above
1,500 feet.

“In most towns, there will be a fair amount of rainfall which
will change over to slushy wet snow,” Cornish said. That will
likely accumulate at a rate of two to three inches in the
grass.

“There will be six to 12 inches of snow in the upper
elevations,” he added.

“The greatest impact of this storm will be in the form of trees
down,” Cornish said. “The leaves are turning color and falling
later than average. The leaves catching the heavy, wet snow cause
problems.”

The problems are going to be from “power outages and road
closures from trees being down, especially in higher
elevations.”

And problems may also occur because it’s been awhile since local
residents have had to deal with snowy conditions.

“The first snowstorm of the year seems to be a pretty rough
transition,” said Steve Nelson, director of the McKean County
Emergency Management Agency, from a meeting in Harrisburg Monday
afternoon. “For whatever reason, people forget what’s its like.

“People need to be prepared. Heed local warnings, report any
significant problems to your municipalities,” Nelson said. He added
the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation “will be on top of
it.”

“Heed their warnings. If they say no unnecessary travel, don’t
travel,” he said.

A winter storm advisory and warning are both in effect until 8
p.m. today, with the warning covering elevations above 1,500 feet
and the advisory covering lower elevations.

Cornish also warned to expect conditions to be windy today as
well.

“Winds could gust to 35 mph or so in Bradford,” he said. “There
will be higher gusts up in the mountains. This will be a much
fiercer storm in the mountains.

“I’m not sure when Bradford receives their first snowfall, but
this is about two weeks early for central Pennsylvania,” Cornish
said.

While the snow is coming sooner than most are ready for, the
crews at PennDOT have been preparing, explained McKean/Elk County
Maintenance Manager Patricia Shinaberger.

“We’re as prepared as we can get,” she explained Monday. “We’re
ready. We’ll take whatever they dish out.”

She explained most of the winter’s materials are already in and
are ready to go.

“We have trucks ready at every stockpile,” she said.

She added that while the maintenance end of things are prepared,
it’s a little harder for some of the workers to accept that it’s
that time of the year again.

“Tomorrow is our big winter meeting on getting ourselves ready,”
she said Monday. “I hope we’re not out plowing during that.”

Shinaberger added the roads are still warm, so clearing them
will be easier now than it will be once winter is here to stay.

Residents should use caution while traveling. In higher
elevations, where the storm warning is in effect, any travel is
strongly discouraged.

Nelson recommended some tips for residents to plan for
situations like snowstorms and the possibility of power loss from
downed trees or accidents.

“Have adequate food and canned goods in case you happen to be
without power,” he said, “bottled water in case you can’t get out.
Have the means to survive in your house for a few days.

“Have batteries for flashlights. If you have a generator, make
sure you have fuel for it. Make sure you have adequate supplies of
medications for all family members.”