A Five Year Retrospective of Pennsylvania’s Pathfinder Program Success

Nestled southeast of Lake Erie, bisected by the Appalachian mountains, and extending eastward towards the Atlantic Ocean, Pennsylvania experiences a wide range of weather hazards throughout the year. From tropical cyclone flooding to synoptic-level winter storms, dense valley fog to pileup-inducing localized snow squalls, these diverse weather hazards all have one thing in common: the potential to significantly impact transportation across the Commonwealth. Since its launch in April of 2018, the Pennsylvania Pathfinder group has brought together stakeholders from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, Pennsylvania State Police, Pennsylvania Department of Emergency Management, AccuWeather, and National Weather Service offices covering Pennsylvania (State College, PA; Mt. Holly, NJ/Philadelphia, PA; Binghamton, NY; Cleveland, OH; and Pittsburgh, PA). The group’s collective effort aims to improve preparedness for, increase coordination during, and enhance public awareness of impactful road weather hazards with the goal of saving lives and reducing property damage.

This presentation reflects on the successes and challenges over the last 5 years to provide insights on best practices and lessons learned. Collaboration has centered on three main areas: message coordination, data sharing, and public education and awareness. To enhance message coordination, NWS State College has initiated weekly check-ins on NWSChat through the winter months. NWS State College worked with PennDOT and the PA Turnpike Commission to standardize Digital Messaging Sign (DMS) activation procedures and messages. Data sharing has proven mutually beneficial, as PennDOT has provided the NWS access to Road Weather Information System (RWIS) data and roadway webcams. In return, NWS State College has provided frequent, informative briefings to local PennDOT districts. The most significant success from the PA Pathfinder initiative has been improved public awareness, education, and preparedness. Partner agencies collaborated to create unified messaging and education campaigns covering winter weather, flooding, and snow squalls. These efforts led to the creation of innovative social media templates used by all agencies, execution of joint press conferences, and development of public safety announcements (PSAs). The Pennsylvania Pathfinder Program laid a great foundation for future collaboration and the next five years should be even more fruitful.