Snow squalls wreak havoc

By TAYLOR BROWN
tbrown@yourmvi.com
A snow squall blanketed the Mon Valley on Wednesday afternoon making for difficult driving conditions.
According to the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh, a warning was issued for snow squalls in the area around 1 p.m. for parts of I-70 and US-40 near Monessen and California to surrounding communities in Pittsburgh.
The warning remained in affect until 4:15 p.m. but lasted slightly longer in some Mon Valley communities.
Snow squalls are quick intense bursts of snow, accompanied by strong gusty winds.
While they are short lived, usually lasting less than three hours, they can rapidly reduce visibility for drivers causing treacherous travel conditions and the potential for chain-reaction vehicle accidents.
Warnings for snow squalls are typically issued for 30 to 60 minutes in small areas where squalls are expected, similar to tornado or thunderstorm warnings.
On Wednesday, some residents received Wireless Emergency Alters regarding the squall for the first time.
The NWS in Pittsburgh said Wednesday was the first time WEA capabilities had been turned on for Snow Squall Warnings.
Similar to WEA Tornado and flash flood warnings, the alerts will only come through on phones inside the warning area.
WEA is turned on by default on most phones, but can accidentally be turned off.
These alerts can be managed in notification settings under government/emergency alerts.
Despite the warning, the squall caught many drivers by surprise as snow quickly coated the roads.

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