Winter Storm Iola: Ice and Snow, With More on the Way

Welcome to the first real snowstorm of 2015.

Winter Storm Iola brought as many as 8 inches of snow and plenty of ice to Pennsylvania on Saturday as accidents littered the states’ major highways, and speed restrictions were imposed to slow down drivers on the slick roads.

Accuweather reports that snow was still falling in parts of eastern Pennsylvania as of 8 a.m.

All speed restrictions on area roadways had been lifted by 11 a.m., the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation said,though it was still cautioning that a number of area roadways were “wet with freezing conditions.”

There will be a few hours of icy patches before the temperatures warm above freezing on Saturday. Thereafter, the rain will lighten up during Saturday afternoon and taper off towards evening as snow showers or a wintry mix, according to the National Weather Service. Additional snow accumulation is possible.

Watch for a re-freeze on Saturday night, the NWS said.

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The snow fell at a rate of an inch-per-hour at times in most of Pennsylvania before mixing with sleet and a period of freezing rain prior to daybreak, according to police.

In the Philadelphia region, the snow was the worst in Berks, Bucks and Montgomery counties, the NWS said, as the storm moved north of the city.

When and where the snow changed to rain was be the deciding factor in how much snow we got.

“A distance of 30 miles could make the difference between 6 inches of snow and an inch of rain,” AccuWeather.com Chief Meteorologist Elliot Abrams said.

A Hazardous Weather Outlook remains in effect for the region.