Snow Squalls Wreak Havoc On PA Roads, 43 Injured In Pileup

A series of snow squalls caused very dangerous driving conditions across the region Wednesday, including a major pileup on a central Pennsylvania highway. The icy roadways lingered in Eastern Pennsylvania Thursday morning, causing school delays in some areas.

Snow squall warnings were issued after midnight throughout the Philadelphia region, including in Bucks and Montgomery counties. Several school districts, including the Central Bucks School District, Palisades School District, and the Pennridge School District, had delayed openings Thursday morning due to the ongoing travel concerns.

Poor road conditions were reported in Bucks and Montgomery counties Thursday night, with drivers reporting several hours of delays. The squalls moved through Central Pennsylvania earlier in the day, causing a major crash on Rt. 80 in the afternoon.

Snow squalls, which are quick bursts of intense snow, cause reduced visibility and treacherous driving conditions.

Ray Leichner, who operates the Cloud to Ground Storm Chaser Facebook page, shared a video from the scene of a squall in Bucks County. Drivers, in comments to the video shared by the Bucks Co. News Feed page, reported whiteout conditions and several hour delays on roadways in central and upper Bucks County.

In Central Pennsylvania, the snow squalls caused a pileup crash that killed one and injured 43, PennLive reported. Photos from the scene of that crash show multiple tractor trailers stacked up.

As many as 20 vehicles were involved in the crash, which happened around 1:30 p.m., AccuWeather reported.

The crash closed a 34-mile stretch of I-80 between Lewisburg and Lock Haven. Eastbound lanes were reopened later Wednesday, but westbound lanes remained closed as of Thursday morning, according to information from PennDOT.

“Snow squalls began to move through the area where the accident occurred between noon and 1 p.m. with snow squalls continuing to move through over the next few hours,” AccuWeather's Jake Sojda said Wednesday afternoon.

Squalls can reduce visibility to near zero, forecasters say.

“The snow squalls would have significantly reduced visibility, perhaps to near zero, and quickly coated the roads. Since the accident occurred close to the time when snow squalls first moved through the region, it is also possible that the snow initially melted on the road surface but then refroze into a sheet of ice,” Sojda said.

This happens because some sunshine arrived before the squalls, which could have warmed the road surface to above freezing, causing the snow to melt initially, Sojda explained in a news release.

Incredible videos show the squall moving through New York City Wednesday.

The squall warnings have since expired but expect the frigid temperatures to remain. Thursday's high will be in the mid-20s with an overnight low in the teens.

Here is the forecast:

Today: Sunny, with a high near 26. Northwest wind 8 to 11 mph, with gusts as high as 23 mph.

Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 19. West wind 3 to 5 mph.

Friday: Sunny, with a high near 35. Light northwest wind increasing to 5 to 9 mph in the morning.

Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 17. Calm wind.

Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 37. Light and variable wind.

Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 24.