Pennsylvania, 1997

Heavy Snow in Pennsylvania, December 29 to 30, 1997

December 29 to 30, 1997 · NWS BGM · 7 events in 7 counties and zones

7 heavy snow, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 7 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
7

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

7 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Bradford

When
December 29, 5:00 PM EST to December 30, 1:00 PM EST
Where
Bradford forecast zone
Coordinates
41.789, -76.515 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A storm system rapidly intensified off the New Jersey coast during the evening of the 29th, then moved very slowly northward overnight and during the day on the 30th. This system threw substantial altlantic moisture inland over a cold air mass in place across northeastern Pennsylvania. This resulted in a period of intense snowfall from late at night on the 29th until midday on the 30th. In general, event totals ranged from 6 to 14 inches across northeastern Pennsylvania. The highest amounts were found over Bradford county and also across the ridge tops in Pike and northern Wayne counties. Some specific amounts included Sylvania in Bradford county - 14 inches, Troy and Canton in Bradford county - 12 inches, Equinunk in Wayne county - 11 inches, and Bushkill in Pike county - 11 inches.

Heavy Snow, Susquehanna

When
December 29, 5:00 PM EST to December 30, 1:00 PM EST
Where
Susquehanna forecast zone
Coordinates
41.821, -75.801 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Wayne

When
December 29, 5:00 PM EST to December 30, 1:00 PM EST
Where
Wayne forecast zone
Coordinates
41.649, -75.303 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Wyoming

When
December 29, 5:00 PM EST to December 30, 1:00 PM EST
Where
Wyoming forecast zone
Coordinates
41.518, -76.016 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Lackawanna

When
December 29, 5:00 PM EST to December 30, 1:00 PM EST
Where
Lackawanna forecast zone
Coordinates
41.437, -75.609 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Luzerne

When
December 29, 5:00 PM EST to December 30, 1:00 PM EST
Where
Luzerne forecast zone
Coordinates
41.177, -75.989 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Pike

When
December 29, 5:00 PM EST to December 30, 1:00 PM EST
Where
Pike forecast zone
Coordinates
41.332, -75.034 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Heavy Snow
Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Pennsylvania in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Pennsylvania, December 1997

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5625827, 5625828, 5625994, 5625995, 5625996, 5625997, 5625998.