Winter Storm Harper brings state of emergency, closings, traffic restrictions
Winter Storm Harper rolled into central Pennsylvania on Saturday afternoon, and its not expected to let up until Sunday afternoon.
In a Saturday afternoon update, the National Weather Service is now calling for 8 to 12 inches of snow with ice accumulations of a quarter inch or less in central Pennsylvania, including Centre County. Snow started around 1 p.m. Saturday.
Gov. Tom Wolf declared a state of emergency Friday to mitigate the effects of the storm, which involves imposing speed restrictions and banning all commercial traffic on most interstates and the Pennsylvania Turnpike.
“We want to be aggressive in managing this storm, during which snowfall rates could exceed one to two inches per hour,” Wolf said in a press release. “Our top concern is the safety of residents. If you do not have to travel during the storm, please avoid it. Please heed warnings from emergency responders and personnel, and remember to check on your neighbors, especially the elderly.”
Until noon Sunday, the commercial vehicle ban will be in place on interstates including Interstates 80 and 99 and the Turnpike except for Interstate 95 in southeastern Pennsylvania.
Speed limits will be restricted to 45 mph on both interstates and expressways as the storm progresses.
Amtrak has canceled the cross-state Pennsylvanian passenger train on Sunday and six more trains that day on the Keystone Line between Philadelphia and Harrisburg.
In Centre County, State College Borough and Patton, College and Harris townships are under a snow emergency. All vehicles must be removed from township streets until the township lifts the emergency and all sidewalks must be cleared of snow and ice within 24 hours after the storm has ended.
There are a number of cancellations and reduced hours due to the winter storm.
Penn State Health Medical Group at Park Avenue is modifying its walk-in service hours from 8:30 a.m. to noon on Saturday, according to Regional Client Services Specialist Crystal Henry. The offices will be closed Sunday.
In anticipation of the storm, Penn State has made several changes to its athletics schedule. The men’s hockey game slated for 7 p.m. Saturday against Ohio State has been moved up to 3 p.m., Saturday’s men’s lacrosse scrimmage against Lafayette was moved to 4 p.m. Friday and Sunday’s women’s tennis matches against Temple and Bucknell have been postponed.
In a release, Penn State said additional changes are possible as the forecast for the weekend becomes more clear.
The Central PA Bridal Expo, which was slated for Sunday at the Penn Stater Hotel and Conference Center, has been postponed to Feb. 10.
Discovery Space in State College shortened its hours to stay open from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, according to its Twitter account.
Schlow Centre Region Library closed early at Saturday and is closed Sunday.
The Nittany Mall closed early at 3 p.m. Saturday. It will open for normal business hours Sunday at 11 a.m.
Centre County PAWS is closed to the public Sunday.
The following churches have canceled Sunday morning services:
- Fairbrook United Methodist Church, Pennsylvania Furnace
- Faith Church, Bellefonte
- Mount Nittany UMC, State College
- Trinity Bellefonte, Bellefonte
- St. John’s United Church of Christ, Bellefonte
- Christ Community Church, State College (will only have 11 a.m. service, no live stream available)
- St. Paul Lutheran Church, Pine Grove Mills
The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Centre County music series concert scheduled for Sunday at 3 p.m. at the UUF, 780 Waupelani Drive, State College, will be canceled due to the fact that two of the performers in the Lyon-Hall music group were involved in a traffic accident en route to State College.
This story was originally published January 18, 2019 at 3:20 PM.
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