Central Pa. may welcome 2021 with messy weather. What to know about the winter weather advisory

Areas of central Pennsylvania are expected to ring in the new year with another dose of winter weather.

With “significant freezing rain possible,” a winter storm watch is in effect for Centre County and other areas from 10 a.m. Friday through 1 a.m. Saturday, according to the National Weather Service. About one-quarter of an inch of ice is possible, after a light coating of snow or sleet, the NWS said.

In anticipation of icy road conditions, the state Department of Transportation announced restrictions Thursday for interstates 99 and 80.

Effective 10 a.m. Friday, the entire length of I-99 will be under PennDOT’s Level 3 restriction plan, which includes a 45 mph speed limit. No commercial vehicles are permitted except loaded single trailers with chains or approved alternate traction devices. School buses, commercial buses, recreational vehicles/motorhomes and passenger vehicles towing trailers are also not permitted while restrictions are in place. The same restrictions will take effect at noon Friday on I-80 from I-99 to the New Jersey border.

Starting at noon Friday, Level 1 restrictions will be in place on I-80 from I-99 to I-79, PennDOT said. That also includes a 45 mph speed limit and a prohibition on certain vehicles including tractors without trailers, RVs/motorhomes, buses, motorcycles and passenger vehicles towing trailers.

In a press release, PennDOT urged motorists to avoid unnecessary travel.

“Our team is ready and will work before and throughout the storm,” Secretary Yassmin Gramian said. “Any icing presents a challenge because rain will wash away some material, and ice is less visible to motorists than snow.”

The storm watch follows a Christmas Eve flood watch across Pennsylvania and a mid-December winter storm that brought more than a foot of snow to most areas of Centre County.

For more information on roadway restrictions and when they might be lifted, motorists are urged to visit www.511PA.com. Updated winter storm watch information can also be found on the National Weather Service’s website.

This story was originally published December 31, 2020 at 11:22 AM.