The blizzard warning for Erie County is forcing the closure of some area businesses and institutions. The province is under a warning until 1 a.m. Saturday due to a combination of heavy lake effect snow and high winds. A snow warning is in effect for the rest of the region due to lake effect.
The following companies and institutions are closed on Thursday due to the bad weather:
Presque Isle and TREC
Presque Isle State Park and the Tom Ridge Environmental Center will remain closed Thursday as park crews work to clear the roads.
After careful consideration and safety concerns for park visitors and volunteers, Presque Isle Partnership has postponed the opening night of Presque Isle Lights from Friday to Sunday.
For updates on Presque Isle Lights, visit discoverpi.org.
Erie County Library Branches
All Erie County Public Library locations (Blasco Memorial Library, Bookmobile, Edinboro Branch Library, Iroquois Branch Library, Lincoln Community Center Branch Library and Millcreek Branch Library) will be closed Thursday, December 5.
Customers can access electronic library services through erelibrary.org, including borrowing e-books (Libby), streaming movies (hoepla) and chatting with a librarian 24/7.
Two UPMC facilities
Snowstorms in Erie knocked out power at the UPMC Heart and Vascular Institute at UPMC Hamot, the UPMC Wound Center and the UPMC Infusion Center.
Both buildings and their offices will be closed for the rest of the day.
Patients who have an appointment for today at one of these locations are asked to stay home. Doctors will contact patients to reschedule appointments.
The main hospital UPMC Hamot and UPMC Magee-Womens are not affected by the outage.
Schools and more
An overview of school closures can be found here.
Other institutions that are closed include:
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The Erie City Mission offices will be closed Thursday due to weather, but all other services are available.
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The Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwestern Pennsylvania will be closed Thursday due to inclement weather. Second Harvest Food Bank’s Produce Express Distribution, 1507 Grimm Drive, Erie, is also canceled.
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Stairways Behavioral Health in Erie said it has temporarily closed its mobile services, outpatient mental health clinic and outpatient substance abuse clinic. Stairways said if someone is experiencing a mental health crisis they should call or text 988 or call 911 for an emergency.
Stay informed about the weather in the Erie area
Return to GoErie.com for updates. Get the latest AccuWeather forecast data and radar images for your zip code at goerie.com/weather. Download the GoErie app for iOS or Android for mobile-friendly forecasts. Tour conditions in the Erie area via webcams.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Presque Isle State Park is closed due to inclement weather
