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Snow Emergencies, Closings and Delays Announced as Snow Hits Centre County

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Updated 1:26 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 17

More than foot of snow had already fallen by Wednesday night in parts of Centre County, with more still on the way before Thursday morning, as the first winter storm of the season and first significant snowfall in two years hit the area. 

And that means snow emergencies, closings and delays are in effect.

The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning from noon on Wednesday to 10 a.m. Thursday, with accumulations of 12 to 18 inches throughout the county in the forecast. 

The heaviest snow across the county was expected during the nighttime hours, and roads throughout the region were in poor condition. 

At 11 p.m. on Wednesday, the National Weather Service measured 12.5 inches of snow at its State College office. For the entire 2019-2020 winter season the official State College observation site measured total of 13.2 inches of snow. The official December single-day record for State College is 12.5 inches, set on Dec. 11, 1992.

Here’s a look at the announced snow emergencies, closings and other impacts as of Wednesday evening. This story will be updated.

Snow Emergencies

• State College has declared a snow emergency as of 5 p.m. on Wednesday. All parked vehicles must be removed from all public roads in  to allow for the public works department to clear and remove snow. All parking regulations will be strictly enforced, and no parking permissions will be granted for the duration of the snow emergency. Any vehicle left parked on a public roadway may be ticketed and towed to allow for snow removal. Property owners are required to clear sidewalks of snow and ice within 24 hours after the storm has ended.

• College Township has declared a snow emergency effective at 2 p.m. on Wednesday. Street parking is not permitted until 48 hours after the snow has ended and streets have been cleared to the curb. Sidewalks must be cleared of snow and ice 24 hours after the storm has ended.

Because of current employee protocols related to COVID-19, the township’s public works department is not staffed at 100% and snow removal is expected to take longer than normal. Crews will focus on priority areas and hills but will eventually get to all streets, according to the township.

• Ferguson Township declared a snow emergency effective at noon on Wednesday and lasting until 48 hours after snowfall has ended. Residents must remove vehicles from township roads to allow snow plows to clear the street. Vehicles that are not removed will be ticketed and may be towed. Residents and businesses should clear sidewalks of snow and ice within 24 hours after the storm has ended. 

• Harris Township’s snow emergency went into effect at 3 p.m. on Wednesday and was lifted as of 2:30 p.m. on Thursday.

• Patton Township’s snow emergency will be in effect starting at 3 p.m. on Wednesday. Street parking is prohibited until the emergency is lifted. Sidewalks must be cleared of snow and ice within 24 hours after the snow has ended.

• Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf signed a winter weather emergency disaster proclamation, which appropriates funds to the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency, allows commonwealth agencies to use emergency procurement procedures, coordinates emergency response and authorizes the Department of Transportation to use all available resources for response and local assistance.

• PennDOT lifted vehicle and speed restrictions on highways as of 1 p.m. on Thursday.

• Centre Hall Mountain was temporarily closed to traffic but is reopened as of 9 p.m. on Wednesday.

• Penn State has declared a ‘Midnight Clear’ for Wednesday and Thursday night. Parking will be prohibited at all faculty/staff surface parking lots on the University Park campus, including Innovation Park, from midnight Wednesday night through 7 a.m. Thursday morning and again from midnight Thursday night through 7 a.m. Friday morning. The roof levels of all four campus are closed as of Tuesday afternoon.

Overnight parking for faculty, staff and departmental vehicles will be available at several locations.

Closings, Delays and Service Changes

• On-campus activities at Penn State are canceled after 1 p.m. on Wednesday and throughout Thursday. Final exams, which are being administered remotely, will continue as scheduled. 

• Refuse and recycling collection normally scheduled for Thursday in State College will be delayed until Friday.

• Refuse and recycling scheduled for Thursday in College Township and Ferguson Township instead will take place on Saturday this week.

• After closing early on Wednesday, the following Mount Nittany Health practices and services are scheduled to open at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday: Mount Nittany Physician Group practices and lab and imaging services, Breast Care Center, Sieg Neuroscience Center, Center for Wound Care, Pain Management Program, Cancer Care Partnership, and medical center outpatient programs. 

Mount Nittany Health Surgical Center is scheduled to open at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday

Mount Nittany Medical Center, including the emergency department, remains open.

During severe weather conditions, call 855-405-8540 before traveling to your appointment. If there are no closings or cancellations, the message will state that there is “no information at this time.”

• Penn State Health Medical Group closed for in-person visits due to weather and concern for safety of staff and patients from noon on Wednesday through Thursday morning. Offices will reopen at 1 p.m. Thursday. Virtual visits are still available for normal hours. For questions regarding an appointment visit pshcc.org/locations for specific office numbers

Schlow Centre Region Library closed at 1 p.m. on Wednesday and is scheduled to reopen at 9 a.m. on Friday. Door-side pick-up by appointment and drop-in will be available from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Wednesday as scheduled.

• All Centre County Library and Historical Museum locations closed at 2 p.m. on Wednesday and are scheduled reopen at their regular times on Thursday afternoon.

• The CATA GO microtransit service and CATARIDE paratransit service ended at noon on Wednesday and will resume at noon on Thursday, with exceptions being made for life-sustaining CATARIDE trips. The Blue Link stopped operating at 2 p.m. on Wednesday. CATA Bus Community service and the Red Link stopped at 6 p.m. Wednesday, with service tentatively scheduled to resume at 7 a.m. on Thursday. Riders are encouraged to use the service for only essential trips and to anticipate delays. Updates on service changes, can be found on the CATA website, on the myStop mobile app or by contacting CATA’s Customer Service Center at (814) 238-2282.

• The Centre County Courthouse closed at noon on Wednesday and will remain closed on Thursday. All court proceedings scheduled for Thursday will be rescheduled. The courthouse will reopen at 8:30 a.m. on Friday. 

Schools

Bellefonte Area School District will be closed on Thursday. No remote or virtual learning will take place. The district dismissed early on Wednesday

Penns Valley Area School District dismissed early on Wednesday. No announcement has been made for Thursday.

• Bald Eagle Area School District has ‘flexible instruction days‘ on Wednesday and Thursday, with assignments sent to students by their teachers. 

State College Area School District, which is otherwise already in district-wide remote learning, dismissed instructional support centers early on Wednesday and the support centers will be in remote status on Thursday. In-person support centers are expected to reopen on Friday.