Be safe out there

The scanner erupted with activity today as snow showers fell across west-central Pennsylvania.

It seems to happen every time. A little snow and the crashes begin. The Buckhorn on Route 36 is one of the typical trouble spots in Blair and Cambria counties. Once again, it proved true.

After the road reopened, one of the Logan Township police officers said to Blair 911 that it is "passable but people need to slow down."

Sage advice -- People need to slow down.

Snow showers are expected for the first part of this week, the National Weather Service in State College says. Up to a foot of snow is expected in the favored snowbelt areas of northwest Pennsylvania.

Here are some great Web sites to check out the weather and highway conditions:

• PennDOT traveler information
• PennDOT Web cams for Blair and Cambria counties
• The Pennsylvania Turnpike
• National Weather Service, Pittsburgh
• National Weather Service, Cleveland (for northwest PA travel)

If you're away from the computer, you can call 888-783-6783 for interstate travel conditions, if you're in Pennsylvania. The out-of-state number is 717-783-5186.

Don't call police or 911 for weather conditions. Use these resources and you'll have the information to make travel decisions.

So, be safe out there.