Heavy snowfall hits area, causes crashes
By TAMMARRAH MILES/Era Reporter
Mother Nature seems to be making up for lost time.
After months of little to no snow during the first half of this
winter, heavy snowfall across the area over the weekend caused a
number of motor-vehicle accidents, and meteorologists are calling
for more.
Starting late Thursday night and continuing over the weekend,
there were at least seven weather-related crashes investigated by
state police in McKean, Elk, Potter and Cameron counties.
According to Ridgway-based state police, at 9:45 p.m. Thursday,
a car driven by Randall Alan Hoffman, 32, of Ridgway, was
southbound on U.S. Route 219, just a mile north of the Ridgway
Borough line in Ridgway Township, when it went out of control on
the snow-covered road and left the highway, hitting a large
stone.
Hoffman was not injured, but there was moderate damage to his
car, police said. No charges were filed.
At 3:25 p.m. Friday, a Jeep driven by Amanda Flynn, 18, was
eastbound on Route 770, just west of its intersection with Route
346 in Bradford Township, when it went out of control while
rounding a curve on the snowy road, crossed into the oncoming lane,
colliding with a pick-up truck driven by Paul Phillips, 58, of
Gifford, according to Kane-based state police. After impact, the
Flynn Jeep spun around several times, police said.
Flynn was taken to Bradford Regional Medical Center after the
accident for an evaluation, but received no injuries in the crash,
police said. Phillips was not injured, but there was disabling
damage to both vehicles.
Priority Care ambulance, EMS 701, the Hilltop Volunteer Fire
Department and McKean County Sheriff assisted at the scene. No
charges were reported by police.
According to Emporium-based state police, at 6:30 p.m. Friday, a
car driven by Matthew Rupprecht, 34, of St. Marys, was westbound on
Route 120, about a mile west of Howard Siding in Shippen Township,
when it went out of control on the snow-covered road, crossed into
the oncoming lane and hit a sport-utility vehicle driven by Joseph
Margeson, 23, of Emporium.
Both drivers were taken to Elk Regional Health Center in St.
Marys, police said. There was no information on their conditions
Sunday night, however. The Emporium Fire Department and ambulance
assisted at the scene.
Charges against Rupprecht are pending, police said.
Just a little later, at 6:50 p.m. Friday in Potter County, a
Bellfonte man was injured in a one-vehicle, weather-related
accident on Route 44, according to Coudersport-based state
police.
A sport-utility vehicle driven by Russell W. Peters, 39, of
Bellfonte, was northbound on Cherry Springs Road, about 87 feet
from the intersection of routes 44 and 144 in Carter Camp, Abbott
Township, traveling at a high rate of speed, when it went out of
control on the snow-covered road and crossed into the oncoming
lane, left the road, hit a bank and rolled over, police said.
Peters suffered minor injuries, police said, and was taken by
Galeton Ambulance Co. to Charles Cole Memorial Hospital in
Coudersport. The Germania Fire Co. assisted at the scene.
Charges are pending against Peters, police said. The
investigation continues.
Coudersport-based state police also report a Sabinsville man was
able to escape injury in a one-vehicle, weather-related crash at 7
p.m. Friday on U.S. Route 6, a mile east of Dry Run Road in Sweden
Township.
A vehicle driven by Eric D. Nuccio, 51, of Sabinsville, was
eastbound on Route 6 when it went out of control on the snowy road
and left the road, hit a guardrail on the south berm, traveled over
a bank and rolled over two times, coming to rest 95 feet from the
road, police said.
There was disabling damage to the vehicle, according to police,
and Nuccio was cited for speeding.
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation assisted at the
scene.
Lastly, at 8:15 p.m. Friday on Route 255 at Laurel Estates Drive
in Fox Township, a pick-up truck driven by Arthur J. Arbour, 50, of
DuBois, was southbound on Route 255 when it went out of control on
the snow and ice-covered road, according to Ridgway-based state
police, and left the road, rolling over onto its side.
Arbour, who suffered minor injuries, was cited for speeding,
police said, adding there was minor damage to the truck.
The Fox Township Fire Department and ambulance assisted at the
scene.
A snowfall predicted by weather forecasters, who have also
issued lake effect snow warning through 7 p.m. today, will
drastically reduce visibility today and tonight, reports indicate.
Motorists should travel only if necessary, and with caution.
There is a lake effect snow advisory running through 7 p.m.
today, according to both The Associated Press wire weather service
and National Weather Service.
A “lake effect snow advisory” indicates a forecast for lake
effect snow that will make travel difficult and will be intense
enough to drop several inches in localized areas.
Snow showers, along with “locally heavier squalls,” and an
accumulation of an inch or two of snow was expected for Sunday
afternoon. Sunday night should have seen snow showers and “areas of
more persistent lake effect squalls,” with an additional
accumulation of two to three inches of snow.
Regardless of how much snow fell Sunday, however, forecasts are
calling for snow showers again today, as well as an additional
accumulation of one to three inches of snow. Highs will be around
20; lows around 10 degrees.
The National Weather Service Web site said Sunday night “the
combination of a strong upper level disturbance and an arctic front
will bring several inches of snow to much of McKean County … some
locations could pick up to six inches of snow by late Monday
(today).”
Winds will also be increasing to 10 to 20 mph, with higher gusts
overnight as wind chills drop between zero and 10 below zero.
Blowing and drifting snow will make traveling hazardous today.
Motorists should not be fooled by an apparent calm in the storm,
as forecasts indicate snow showers and locally-heavy lake effect
snow may shift just north of the region for a few hours tonight
before setting back south across the region Tuesday morning. Due to
significant blowing and drifting of snow, visibility could vary
quickly, falling to less than a quarter of a mile at times.
Snow showers will become more widespread later today and
overnight as arctic air pours over the region and picks up moisture
from the Great Lakes, and as low level wind becomes more favorably
aligned over Lake Erie, areas of locally heavy lake effect snow
will develop.
Total storm snowfall will average about three to five inches
with locally higher amounts around six inches possible across the
area west of a line from Kane to Bradford, reports indicate.
The onslaught of winter weather is just getting started,
meteorologists are saying, as a large scale storm system is
reportedly heading this way from the Tennessee Valley on Friday,
and could bring a widespread light to moderate snowfall to much of
central and northwestern Pennsylvania.
