The new year rang in with high winds and heavy snow overnight that put a damper on the First Night turnout in Pittsburgh and left a fresh blanket of white across the region.
Pittsburgh police said there were no issues during the First Night celebration as there were light crowds, likely because of the weather, according to Cara Cruz, public safety spokeswoman.
At the National Weather Service station in Moon, the official measurement was 5 inches of snow.
“Closer to the city center of Pittsburgh, we had about 31⁄2 inches,” said NWS Meteorologist Adam Kienzel. “Across the region, we got a range of 3 to 5 inches.”
@NWSPittsburgh caught a lightning strike during the squall in Freeport! ⚡⚡ pic.twitter.com/omRHwENpmH
— Casey Crytzer (@caseycrytzer) January 1, 2026
PennDOT lifted speed restrictions on highways in Allegheny County on Thursday morning.
In Westmoreland County, Greensburg saw about 4 inches of snowfall, with 3 inches in Blairsville.
“We had a band of heavier snow move through along a squall line, and that plowed through Westmoreland County around 1 a.m.,” Kienzel said. “That was the heaviest, most intense snow, and then things began to taper off around 4:30 a.m. where we began getting just some scattered light showers.”
While snow-covered roads hampered travel in the city of Pittsburgh, wet and clearing streets could be found in Westmoreland and the Alle-Kiski Valley.
“We have a very dedicated road crew,” Leechburg Mayor Doreen Smeal said Thursday. “They have given up time with their families to keep our roads clear.”
“As we head into the weekend, we’re really going to dry out, and by early next week we may be back into some rain,” Kienzel said.
Matt Jones of Allegheny Township was clearing driveways in his neighborhood in Allegheny Township along Route 356 Thursday morning. He said he’ll spend several hours at the work with his own equipment.
“It’s my sub-compact tractor and I’m just out here trying to help out,” he said.
Patrick Varine and Joyce Hanz are TribLive staff writers. Patrick can be reached at pvarine@triblive.com.Joyce Hanz is a TribLive staff writer. Joyce can be reached at jhanz@triblive.com.
