Times Observer photo by Heather Cathcart-Norris Lake effect snow warning continues through at least Tuesday evening, as snow continues to fall in Warren County.

Warren County officials are preparing for lake effect snow to make its way to the region today.

The National Weather Service has issued a lake-effect snow warning that will be in effect until at least 7 p.m. Tuesday. Heavy lake effect snow with total snow accumulations between 4 and 10 inches, except areas north of Route 6 that could see over a foot of snow.

Travel could be very difficult to impossible. The hazardous conditions on Tuesday could impact the morning and evening commutes, as lake-effect snow showers could linger through much of the day.

Tuesday’s forecast includes snow showers, with a high near 35°F and an expected new snow accumulation of 3 to 7 inches. Tuesday night, the low will be 21°F, with 1-2 inches of possible new accumulation.

PA State Trooper Jen Bovee said, “We urge motorists to slow down and pay attention to the road conditions at all times, as wind or freezing weather could make the roadway slippery, and to check their tire tread depth to make sure they are driving on safe tires. We urge motorists to increase your following distance enough so you’ll have plenty of time to stop for vehicles in front of you. Don’t crowd a snow plow or travel beside the truck. Snow plows travel slowly, make wide turns, stop often, overlap lanes, and exit the road frequently.”

She emphasized that drivers should remove snow and ice from the hood and roof of their vehicle.

“State law states that if snow or ice from your vehicle strikes a vehicle or person and causes death or injury, you can be ticketed,” said Bovee.

While PennDOT has lifted the temporary restrictions on certain vehicles from traveling on Interstates 79, 86, and 90 in Erie County, speed limit reduction remains.

A speed limit reduction to 45 mph is in effect on the following highways:

I-79 from Exit 154 (Route 198/Conneautville/Saegertown) to the end of I-79 in Erie County.

I-86 from the New York state line to Interstate 90.

I-90 from I-79 to the New York state line.

Commercial vehicles not affected by restrictions on these or other roadways must move to the right lane on roadways with speed restrictions.

Motorists can check conditions on major roadways by visiting www.511PA.com. 511PA is free and available 24 hours a day. It provides traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information, and access to traffic cameras.

Walmart and other businesses located north of them had no power on Monday morning and closed their stores until electricity was restored.

When the power went out around 9 a.m., many associates and patrons at the store assumed the outage was related to the weather conditions. Utility officials confirmed that the power outage was planned and that customers should have received a notification well before the outage.

The scheduled outage affected parts of the Walmart Plaza north into Russell; electric service was restored around 11 a.m.