Pittsburgh Mayor Corey O'Connor has declared a state of emergency after a severe winter storm dumped a record amount of snow on the city, triggering the breakdown of more than a third of the city's snowplow fleet. As reported by TribLIVE, the city's response has been hampered by the plows' breakdowns, compelling the mayor to call in private contractors to supplement the beleaguered fleet and to prioritize public safety. "Safety's a priority," O'Connor stated during a press conference, intensifying efforts to address road conditions that still suffer under a thick white shroud.
O'Connor admitted at the press conference that while the city's crews were working tirelessly the fleet succumbed to the strain, when 37 trucks were incapacitated overnight and reinforcements were necessary, Pittsburgh started the storm with 95 available plows and salt trucks, the mayor's spokeswoman Molly Onufer acknowledged the wear on the vehicles requiring maintenance such as replacing plow blades after extended use—necessitating the around-the-clock operation of the city's maintenance garage. This incident has once again spotlighted the frail state of the aging vehicular fleet, which has in times past been the subject of frustration over its susceptibility to faults necessitating expensive repairs, according to CBS News Pittsburgh.
The storm, which has been branded as the second-worst snowstorm in the past three decades, set a daily snowfall record on January 25 with 11.2 inches of snow, surpassing the previous mark of 5.2 inches set in 2014. The accumulation is comparable to the infamous "Snowmageddon" of 2010, and totals in the region ranged from 8 to 15 inches. Despite this, National Weather Service meteorologist Jeff Craven anticipates only light dustings of additional snow with minimal accumulation expected.
There are consequences beyond the snow itself, as residents face school closures and transit disruptions across the region, county officials, including Emergency Services Chief Matthew Brown, urged residents to stay home and remain vigilant to the dangers of frostbite amid plummeting temperatures, the National Weather Service has issued an extreme cold warning, projecting wind chills could plunge as low as 25 degrees below zero. With roads being impassable and high temperatures insufficient to thaw the layers of accumulated ice, the days ahead appear climatologically daunting.
To support those most affected by the frigid weather conditions, the city has opened warming shelters in several senior centers across the municipality.
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