Cold, windy conditions cause chaos on morning commute

(WHTM) — Cold, windy and slick on the roads — that all made the morning commute a mess in multiple places.

The big problem is this weather is unpredictable. Snow flurries combined with wind can quickly make road conditions dangerous, and there is only so much officials and drivers can do to prepare.

“Conditions on the road changed in just an instant,” PennDOT spokesperson Fritzi Schreffler said.

Around 6 a.m. Monday, with temperatures hovering around freezing, a snow squall turned a normal drive slippery.

“A snow squall comes through and it’s very sudden and it’s not something that we can necessarily predict,” Schreffler said.

Schreffler said the snow squall caused parts of bridges and overpasses to ice up quickly, causing multiple crashes. There were three separate crashes on or near Clarks Ferry Bridge in northern Dauphin County, causing major delays.

“We sent trucks out so that we could put some material down on the road,” Schreffler said.

Schreffler added PennDOT does have overnight crews out looking for trouble spots, like bridges, overpasses and spots that do not get a lot of sunlight, and they treat those areas. However, Schreffler said pre-treating the roads like PennDOT does before a snow storm, does not help much in this weather.

“Right now it’s windy, and that is going to blow away some of the material that we put down,” she said.

Schreffler said in this case, PennDOT sometimes has to deal with problems as they come up.

“We do the best we can, sometimes it’s responding instead of being out there,” she said.

Schreffler said that means drivers have to be extra careful. She said drivers should check their tire treads and pressure and avoid tailgating.

“If you don’t allow that extra space between you and the car in front of you, it’s not allowing you the time to react if somebody else in front of you stops or goes into a spin,” she said.

Schreffler also recommends drivers check traffic and weather conditions on 511PA before they leave, so they are prepared for any backups or delays.