Well, the worst of the snowfall should be over, according to the
Penn State Weather Center.

“You’re right in the guts of a pretty consistent snow band,”
said meteorologist Geoff Cornish Friday afternoon. “You’re in one
of the longest fingers that continues about 100 miles from Lake
Erie.

“It’s a continuous band from Lake Erie that goes right across
Bradford,” he added.

It’s not that unusual for bad weather to travel so far from
where it originated, he explained.

“Even in State College, we will sometimes get a little bit (of
lake effect snow) if the wind is strong enough,” Cornish said. Cold
air passing across the relatively warm Great Lakes produces bands
of heavy snow, and high winds carry the bands across the region. At
10 p.m. Friday, a measurement taken by a Bradford City Fire
Department Fireman showed 10 inches of snow had fallen. The morning
measurement had been 1/2 inch. By 10 p.m., it had stopped
snowing.

The wind was gusting up to 31 mph Friday morning, Cornish said,
adding that the high winds were responsible for keeping the snow
around.

“The fact that winds are relatively strong is what is helping
these snow bands to continue to the east-southeast,” he said. “When
the wind dies down or changes, the orientation will change. It’s
always hard to say how long a band will be over a town.”

The lake effect snow advisory issued was in effect until 7 a.m.
today.

“It will not be nearly as windy (today),” he said, adding that
Friday would be “absolutely the worst” of the storm.

Some snow showers are still on tap for today, but nothing like
the accumulations from Friday, Cornish said.

“There might be a flurry or two, but no big deal,” he added with
a laugh.

And over the next week, “there will be a few more opportunities
for snow.”

Additional storms are forming and will be heading for the area
next week, but “the bulk of the accumulation will be to the south
of Bradford.”

Cornish said this area will be “right along the flank of the
lighter snowfall” for the coming week.

“The entire week will not be like today,” he said Friday
afternoon during the heaviest snowfall. “It will remain chilly for
the next several days. There’s a large dip in the jet stream that
isn’t showing any sign of changing.

“Temperatures will be at or below normal for the next week,” he
said. “Most days will probably be in the 30s with lows generally in
the teens to the lower 20s.”

It looks like the warm weather experienced in November may be
the last this area will be seeing until spring.

Cornish said, “It’s rare that we go an entire winter without a
period of unseasonably warm weather, but there are no signs of that
in the near future.”

While the snow hit the area, the Pennsylvania Department of
Transportation was steady at work as soon as they were able to get
the trucks out onto the road.

Patricia Shinaberger, McKean County Maintenance Manager for
PennDOT said Friday afternoon that Route 770 near Marshburg was
closed for about two hours because it was impassable.

“Well maybe a few hearty souls were able to get through,” she
added. “But we warn people to take it very slow when the roads are
snow covered.

“Everybody’s out, and they will probably be out until midnight,
the shifts are changing from noon to midnight,” said Shinaberger.
“Depending on the need, they work from 4 a.m. to noon or noon to 8
p.m., but are responsible for 12 hours of coverage.”

Drivers who did venture out, whether out of necessity or play,
might have found themselves in a bind. Such was the case for at
least 15 drivers who were involved in accidents from 10:30 a.m. to
10 p.m. Friday according to radio reports.

Some cars were reportedly off the road and needed help, while
others were involved in accidents. At 5:15 p.m. reports indicated a
vehicle flipped over after attempting to pass a snowplow in Mount
Jewett.

Foster Township Police reported attending four minor vehicle
accidents including a jackknifed tractor-trailer that caused a
one-hour closing of the eastbound lane on Rock City Hill Road.

None of the police reports from the Foster and Bradford
Townships were available before press time.

Accidents Bradford City Police responded were not ready for
release, either.