How much snow did the winter storm drop? Here’s how the aftermath is affecting Centre County
A few more inches of snow fell overnight Thursday into Friday morning, prompting Centre County schools and Penn State to shut their doors for another day as crews continued to clean up roads and sidewalks.
Overall, Thursday’s storm looks to have dumped anywhere from 7-11 inches of snow in different spots throughout Centre County.
National Weather Service spotters in State College counted 10.3 inches at 5:29 a.m., 3 additional inches since midnight.
According to NWS totals, the folks in Stormstown and Port Matilda had the most accumulation, with 10.6 inches. The Campus Weather Service at Penn State recorded 11.5 inches at the Walker Building.
NWS also recorded 10.5 inches in Boalsburg, 9.8 in Park Forest and 7.8 in Philipsburg.
With temperatures back up above freezing, road conditions are now mostly clear, just wet. The speed limits on the interstates have been restored, and U.S. Route 322 is reopen between Boalsburg and Potters Mills, and between Philipsburg and Interstate 99.
CATA buses are operating on a “full service lite” schedule on Friday, with no HC, NE, VE, RC, RP, WE, or GL service. Regular service is set to resume Saturday.
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and municipal public works crews have been busy throughout the day clearing roads and parking lots of snow.
Patton, College, Harris and Ferguson townships, along with the State College borough, all declared snow emergencies on Thursday, requiring all vehicles to be off the street until all snow is cleared, and sidewalks to be shoveled within 24 hours of when snowfall stops.
Ferguson Township police are also stopping drivers who don’t have their vehicles completely cleared of snow while driving, reminding people that under Pennsylvania law, there are severe fines if snow or ice falls from a moving vehicle and causes injury or death to another motorist or pedestrian.
As part of Winter Weather Awareness Week, the NWS is reminding people who are spending time outside in the snow at any point this winter to dress properly in several layers of loose-fitting clothes — including an outer water-repellent layer — a hat and mittens, to protect from frostbite and hypothermia.
Frostbite can occur when part of the body like fingers, ears and toes are exposed to sub-freezing temperatures for a prolonged period of time. People who start to feel numbness in any extremities should go inside and slowly start warming the affected area, the NWS advises.
Symptoms of hypothermia include uncontrollable shivering, memory loss, slurred speech and disorientation. Anyone experiencing those symptoms should get medical help right away, as the condition can be fatal.
This story was originally published November 16, 2018 at 11:22 AM.