Snow to keep travel slick downwind of the Great Lakes this weekend

By Kristina Pydynowski, Senior Meteorologist

February 13,2016; 11:21PM,EST

 

 

The dangerous cold gripping the eastern U.S. will continue to allow snow showers and squalls to stream downwind of the Great Lakes this weekend and posing more hazards for motorists.
A couple of multi-vehicle accidents have already been reported on Saturday in Pennsylvania amid the snowy conditions.

Dangerously Cold Weekend for the Northeast

One accident on I-78 north of Lebanon, Pennsylvania, has reportedly involved more than 20 vehicles and claimed lives.
Motorists on area highways such as interstates 75, 79, 80, 86, 90 downwind of the Great Lakes should be on the lookout for rapidly changing weather conditions into Saturday night.
This includes in Michigan, northern Indiana, northern Ohio, western Pennsylvania, southwestern Ontario and western and central New York.
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Snow showers will also stream into the mountains of West Virginia.
A few snow showers will persist downwind of lakes Erie and Ontario on Sunday morning.
"The nature of the snow squalls will be to reduce visibility to near zero," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski said.

The snow showers and squalls will also coat roads and quickly create slick conditions. Due to the recent cold, the snow will have no trouble sticking on roads and sidewalks.
The majority of the snow showers will struggle to stream east of the Appalachians. However, an isolated snow showers will survive the trip and create localized issues for travelers.
Brisk winds all across the Great Lakes and interior Northeast can cause snow in open areas to drift across roads, creating slick areas in the absence of falling snow.
As the lake-effect snow winds down, attention will turn toward the more widespread disruptive snow event headed to the Midwest and Northeast.