Getting to work this morning should be easier than yesterday, even if there's some fresh snow on the ground.

While the driving could still be treacherous, there likely won't be a repeat of the chaos that accompanied the nearly 5 inches of snow that fell in Pittsburgh yesterday, along with a patina of freezing rain.

The combination discombobulated the city and region, forcing almost 600 school delays and cancellations, closing businesses, libraries and courthouses, postponing WPIAL high school playoff games until tomorrow and causing scores of traffic nightmares.

The National Weather Service said an inch of snow was expected to accumulate today between 4 and 7 a.m. High temperatures in Pittsburgh today are expected to be in the low 30s.

Yesterday's early morning snow accumulation throughout the region was expected as a storm system moved through the Ohio Valley and Western Pennsylvania. And at noon, the National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning for Allegheny, Beaver and Westmoreland counties, extending into Hancock and Brooke counties in West Virginia, predicting several inches of snow to accumulate by 7 p.m.

Snowfall amounts for the region ranged from 4.7 inches in Pittsburgh to 5 inches in spots of Beaver, Armstrong and Venango counties, to 4 inches in Canonsburg.

Freezing rain began about 12:30 p.m., leaving a slick one-tenth of an inch crust.

By 5 p.m. the temperature had nudged to 33 degrees, enough to turn the freezing rain to rain.

Snowfall yesterday slightly exceeded Monday night's AccuWeather predictions of 1 to 3 inches, but meteorologist Kerry Schwindenhammer said that cold weather precipitation can be difficult to predict because even minor changes in temperature can change whether precipitation becomes snow or freezing rain.

Yesterday, warm temperatures moved in later than expected, resulting in more snowfall and less freezing rain and sleet.

"All you need is for a very thin layer of the atmosphere to warm up for [the precipitation] not to fall as snow and then ... you have significantly different amounts," he said.

The weather's impact snowballed after lunchtime.

At 2 p.m. Allegheny County closed all divisions of Common Pleas Court, including district judge offices. Two hours later, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh closed its facilities.

Power to the U.S. District Courthouse, Downtown, was knocked out, and the courthouse will be closed today. No court personnel or jurors should report. Updates on whether the courthouse will reopen tomorrow will be available after 12:30 p.m. by calling 412-644-4700.

Interstate 70 westbound, just east of the Bentleyville Exit, was closed for several hours yesterday following an accident involving five tractor-trailer trucks. Other serious accidents were reported throughout Pittsburgh, but there were no fatalities.

The Port Authority of Allegheny County reported "scattered delays" in bus routes across the city. Some buses skipped the parts of their routes that would force drivers to navigate narrow, unplowed side streets, but by the end of the day service was close to schedule.

The best news is, sunshine is expected tomorrow.