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Wintry weather came early to the region Thursday, touching off a series of vehicle crashes in Blair, Bedford, Cambria, Centre and Huntingdon counties.

The storm reached historic proportions with the earliest recorded snowfalls in Altoona and State College.

About an inch of snow fell at the Penn State weather station at University Park by 5 p.m. Thursday, the earliest snow there since Oct. 18, 1901, the National Weather Service in State College said. Before Thursday, Altoona's earliest snow was 0.3 inches on Oct. 27, 1957; a trace of snow was reported at mid-morning.

The snows could continue through the weekend as a series of storm systems roll out of the upper Midwest, weather service meteorologist John LaCorte said. Up to a foot of snow is possible in northeast Pennsylvania.

"We knew it was going to be a marginal event. If it's 33 or 34 degrees at your house, you're going to get snow. If it's 35 degrees, you'll get rain," he said. "The only question we have is when will it end. It's a complicated forecast."

The weather service issued winter storm warnings and advisories throughout its forecast area into Saturday.

The first round of wintry weather caused emergency responders, road crews and police to scramble Thursday afternoon.

During a one-hour span, crashes were reported east of Everett on the Route 30 bypass, near Shirley Street in Mount Union, in the Buckhorn area of Logan Township outside of Altoona, on Route 22 before the Gallitzin exit, near Route 26 in Oneida Township, Huntingdon County and on Lincoln Highway in Breezewood.

Sugar Run Road in Allegheny Township was also closed temporarily by emergency officials because of accidents there, and a tanker truck went into an embankment on Route 22 near Cresson and then slid off the road.

A collision between a school bus carrying students and a small car took place outside of the Northern Bedford County schools, Loysburg, about 3:30 p.m. Thursday. None of the students on Bus 30 appeared to be hurt and all were transferred to another bus about 20 minutes after the crash.

No further information was available late Thursday from school or emergency officials.

In Cambria County, much of the area received only rain through early evening, although some areas north of Route 22 reported a wintry mix. A 911 center supervisor said the center received no reports of weather-related accidents as of Thursday evening or reports of icy roadways.

Penelec was preparing for repercussions from the storm, although officials said it had been a quiet day Thursday.

"We haven't really had anything yet," spokeswoman Beverly Green said. "We've been continuing to monitor the weather and just sort of making sure everything is in place. If it just stays like it is now, we'll just ride this out."

An accumulation of snow or ice on trees could cause outages in the area, Green said.

"If that happened, we would expect to activate our storm process," she said. "We're just in a holding pattern until we see the weather conditions and where exactly we're needed."

The Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency urged residents to be prepared for the long-term possibilities of wintry weather.

"The inconvenience and hardship that often result from a winter storm can be lessened if you take the time to be prepared," PEMA Director Robert P. French said, recommending that drivers check their tires; keep a windshield scraper, small broom and a winter car kit in their vehicle; have a full tank of gas; and not travel alone.

PEMA recommended that motorists get up-to-date road conditions by calling 511 or visiting www.511PA.com beginning in November. For more information on winter weather preparedness, visit www.ReadyPA.org or call 888-9READY-PA.

Today's forecast includes a mix of rain and snow with little to no accumulation and highs in the upper 30s. Accumulation was expected this evening, with lows around 30 degrees. A chance of snow is likely Saturday, mainly in the morning, as well as Saturday evening and Sunday morning.

Mirror Staff Writers David Hurst and Mark Leberfinger contributed to this story.