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PennDot braces for snow, urges caution on roads

With two more winter storms barreling toward Pennsylvania, crews from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation were heading out Friday night to salt the roads as soon as the first flakes fell.

With two more winter storms barreling toward Pennsylvania, crews from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation were heading out Friday night to salt the roads as soon as the first flakes fell.

While Central Pennsylvania is forecast to get 6 to 8 inches of snow, Philadelphia and its inner-ring suburbs were expected to get 1 to 3 inches, said Gene Blaum, a PennDot spokesman. The farther reaches of Chester, Montgomery, and Bucks Counties could see 3 to 5 inches.

The agency warned drivers to be cautious, carry emergency kits, and avoid the roads whenever possible as snow may continue falling through about 5 p.m. Saturday.

"We should all think safety first and be prepared to postpone travel if necessary," said Leslie S. Richards, acting transportation secretary. "If you must travel, make sure that you and your vehicle are ready for winter driving."

Forecasters called for a quick-moving storm to come through the area Friday night into Saturday before making its way further up the East Coast along the I-95 corridor. The National Weather Service issued a winter weather advisory for 9 p.m. Friday through 10 a.m. Saturday.

Blaum said snow was actually preferable to last weekend's freezing rain, which turned roadways into ice slicks and left three motorists dead and dozens stranded on the Schuylkill Expressway.

"It's a totally different type of weather system coming through. This is a system that starts as snow, and that's what we want to see," he said.

The snow acts as a sort of sponge, soaking up the salt. When sleet or freezing rain follows, he said, "it should hit that salt solution and just be dissolving."

A second storm is expected to bring more snow Sunday night and last into the Monday morning rush-hour commute.

"The more definitive plan will be put together later in the weekend, once we have a better idea of the timing and the strength of this clipper system coming through," Blaum said.

jparks@philly.com 610-313-8117 @JS_Parks

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This article contains information from Philly.com.