( CNN ) -- So much for April showers . A large and unexpected storm came barreling through the Northeast on Monday , threatening to drop more than a foot of snow in some places . Winter storm warnings remained in effect Monday night for parts of Pennsylvania , New York and West Virginia , according to the National Weather Service . Earlier in the day , Newfield , New York , was reporting 10 inches of snow , while Ridgebury , Pennsylvania , had 8 inches . More accumulation was expected , especially in higher elevations . CNN iReporter Quinten Johnson sent in a photograph from Smethport , Pennsylvania , where a sign advertising a spring bazaar was covered in snow . `` We 've already seen broken branches , and we are worried about the power lines , '' he said . `` Everyone is shaking their heads and they are like -- that is life . Everyone put away their shovels and snow plows and got out their lawnmowers , and it is snowing . '' The blustery blast follows a mild winter that saw little snow and the warmest March on record . `` The last time we had a big snowstorm across the East Coast was back in October , '' when fall foliage was still on the trees , said CNN Meteorologist Rob Marciano . `` This has been a crazy , crazy winter '' in the region , he said . Is it snowing where you are ? Share photos and videos . Snowstorms of this magnitude are very rare for this late in April . Forecasters expect record snowfall for this time of year in some areas . The highest recorded snowfall for Pittsburgh on this date was a half-inch in 1956 . Up to 5 inches of snow were forecast for Monday , the weather service said . Snowfall rates in central Pennsylvania were expected to reach 1 inch per hour at times on Monday afternoon , said CNN Meteorologist Sean Morris . One `` bull's-eye is Dubois , Pennsylvania , '' he said . Another is Erie , Pennsylvania , where snowfalls totals along the southern side of Lake Erie could reach 16 inches , Morris said . `` The snow will be heavy and wet . The weight of the snow accumulating on trees combined with gusty winds could cause branches to come down on power lines , resulting in widespread power outages , '' he said . Pete Petriani , who heads Erie 's Bureau of Streets , told CNN affiliate CNN affiliate WICU that depending on how heavily it snows , crews `` may have to do a little filling up of the back of trucks just for weight if we have to go out and plow . But if it comes , we 'll be ready . It wo n't be a problem . '' Snowfall amounts of 6 to 14 inches are forecast for the Allegheny Mountains of western Pennsylvania and near Lake Erie , the weather service said . The snow wo n't last long , Morris said . Temperatures are expected to rise into the 40s and 50s this week , with overnight lows remaining above freezing . Late Monday morning , one weather watcher reporting to CNN affiliate CNN affiliate WIVB had recorded 5 inches of snow near Boutwell Hill State Forest , southwest of Buffalo . A public works dispatcher said 4 to 6 inches of snow had accumulated `` on the hilltops , somewhat less in the valleys '' of Chautauqua County in western New York state by early Monday afternoon . `` We have a few limbs that have fallen , nothing too big yet , nothing we ca n't handle , '' said dispatcher Rick Heath . `` All of our ( plow ) trucks are out , and we 're looking at more snow tonight . '' The system rained out both the Mets and Yankees baseball games on Sunday . A `` pattern shift in the jet stream over the weekend '' caused the weather change , with temperatures dropping in the country 's eastern half and spiking in the west , CNN Meteorologist Sarah Dillingham said . `` This trend will continue through Tuesday and Wednesday , '' though by Wednesday , temperatures will be working their way closer to normal , she said . CNN 's Josh Levs , Ed Payne , Leslie Tripp , Jacqui Jeras and Cameron Tankersley contributed to this report .
NEW : Snow-laden trees and limbs threaten power lines . NEW : Winter storm warnings remain in effect for parts of Pennsylvania , New York . Up to 16 inches of snow possible in some parts of the Northeast . Low temperatures will continue through Wednesday , CNN meteorologist says .