A winter storm that could result in Centre County’s largest snowfall in more than five years is causing closures and impacts on parking and travel.
Snow is expected to begin in Centre County late Saturday night and continue throughout Sunday, with forecasted accumulations ranging from 8 to 18 inches. A winter storm warning is in effect from 10 p.m. Saturday into Monday afternoon for the entire commonwealth, and Gov. Josh Shapiro signed a proclamation of disaster emergency to mobilize to state resources for storm preparation and response.
Meteorologists and transportation and government officials have urged residents to avoid unnecessary travel, and many businesses have announced closures for Sunday.
Here’s a look at the snow emergencies, travel and transportation impacts, and closures and delays for schools, government, medical and nonprofit services so far.
Last updated 10:36 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 24.
SNOW EMERGENCIES
• Bellefonte Borough has declared a snow emergency beginning at 10 p.m. Saturday. No parking will be permitted “on designated snow emergency routes or other streets as directed by the Borough.” Vehicles in violation may be ticketed and towed. The snow emergency will remain in effect until officially lifted.
• State College Borough is encouraging community members “to move vehicles off the streets on Saturday evening in preparation for the forecasted snowstorm. This will allow snowplow crews to safely and effectively clear roads at the immediate onset of the snow event.” The borough will declare a snow emergency when snowfall totals reach 3 inches, requiring parked vehicles to be removed from roads until the emergency is lifted.
• College Township has declared a snow emergency beginning at 10 p.m. Saturday. All parked vehicles must be removed from public streets at that time. Street parking is not permitted until 48 hours after the storm has ended and roads have been cleared to the curb.
• Ferguson Township reminds residents that parked vehicles must be removed from all public roads once 2 or more inches of snow have accumulated and continuing for 48 hours. Vehicles in violation may be ticketed or towed.
• Harris Township‘s snow emergency is effective at 10 p.m. Saturday. All parked vehicles must be removed from public streets by 1 a.m. Sunday, when ticketing will begin. Reparking is prohibited until the snow emergency is lifted by the township. Public parking for those without off-street options is available in Nittany View Park, Blue Spring Park, Yoder Preserve and the municipal building parking lot. Parking areas of parks are not typically plowed.
• Patton Township is under a snow emergency beginning at 10 p.m. Saturday. Parked vehicles must be removed from public roads until the snow emergency has been lifted.
• Penn State has declared a “midnight clear” for Saturday and Sunday. No parking will be permitted in all faculty and /staff surface parking lots on campus, including Innovation Park, from midnight Saturday night through 7 a.m. Sunday morning and again from midnight Sunday night through 7 a.m. Monday morning, Jan. 26. The roof levels of all five campus parking decks are closed and will reopen Monday.
TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS AND TRANSPORTATION IMPACTS
• CATA has suspended all operations for Sunday, including CATA Bus and CATA Ride parantransit service, according to a news release on Saturday night. “CATA will continue to monitor conditions closely and will resume service as soon as it is safe to do so,” the authority wrote. Riders are encouraged to check catabus.com/rider-alerts for status updates.
• Fullington bus routes that service State College Regional Airport are canceled for Sunday.
• Thousands of flights nationwide have been canceled as of Saturday, according to the Associated Press. At State College Regional Airport, most United and American arrivals and departures on Sunday have been canceled, after many United flights were canceled on Saturday.
• PennDOT and the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission will implement Tier 4 restrictions on all interstates in the commonwealth beginning at 12:01 a.m. Sunday. No commercial vehicles, buses, motorcycles or RVs will be permitted and speeds will be reduced to 45 mph. Only passenger vehicles that are not towing trailers will be allowed. Among other roads where Tier 4 restrictions will be implemented are U.S. 322 from I-99 to I-81 and U.S. 220 from I-80 to I-180. Route 350 between Bald Eagle and Philipsburg als will be closed to commercial motor vehicle traffic.
SCHOOLS
• Bald Eagle Area School District facilities will be closed on Sunday, including the weight-training facility, gyms, auditorium and all other district spaces.
• State College Area School District buildings will be closed on Sunday. Any activities scheduled in district buildings will be canceled or rescheduled.
GOVERNMENT SERVICES AND OFFICES
• Centre County Government and Court offices will be closed on Monday and will have a delayed opening at noon on Tuesday.
• State College Borough bulk and brush collections will not take place on Monday. Anyone who has placed items out for collection is asked to move them away from the curb so the items don’t interfere with snow removal. Information on regular refuse and recycling collection will be provided on Monday.
• Centre County Recycling and Refuse Authority‘s recycling collection may be delayed this week. Residents are encouraged to check CCRRA’s website and social media before placing recycling at the curb.
• All PennDOT driver license and photo centers will be closed Monday and Tuesday. Customers who have road tests scheduled will be contacted by PennDOT staff to reschedule their road tests, or they may go online to reschedule their road test.
HEALTH CARE
• Penn State Health State College locations will delay the start of in-person appointments on Monday until 1 p.m. Appointments previously scheduled for earlier than 1 p.m. will be virtual. Penn State Health will contact affected patients. For any questions, contact information can be found at pshcc.org/locations.
• Mount Nittany Health ExpressCare will be closed Sunday. All Mount Nittany Health outpatient locations, including ExpressCare and outpatient hospital departments such as imaging, will have a delayed opening at noon on Monday.
NONPROFIT SERVICES
• Schlow Centre Region Library will be closed on Sunday. The library is scheduled to reopen at noon on Monday.
• State College Food Bank will be closed on Monday. Normal operations will resume on Wednesday.
• Centre County PAWS will be closed on Sunday. It will reopen for normal public hours on Tuesday.
