Ice Storm in Pennsylvania, February 24 to 25, 2001

Name: Ice Storm in Pennsylvania, February 24 to 25, 2001
Start: 2001-02-24T23:00
End: 2001-02-25T12:00
Location: Pennsylvania

February 24 to 25, 2001 · NWS BGM · 7 events in 7 counties and zones

A strengthening low pressure system in the plains on the 24th moved into the western Great Lakes late that day. The storm moved into southern Ontario province in Canada on the 25th.

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

Open the live radar over this ground

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS BGM wrote it up.

A strengthening low pressure system in the plains on the 24th moved into the western Great Lakes late that day. The storm moved into southern Ontario province in Canada on the 25th. Precipitation occurred ahead of the low and a warm front. The precipitation started as a period of light snow and sleet the evening of the 24th. The snow and sleet changed to freezing rain between 11 PM and midnight. The freezing rain ended between 10 AM and noon. Water equivalent amounts of the freezing rain were around a quarter of an inch.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Binghamton, NY wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 24, 9:45 PM EST, 1 hour 15 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 24, 9:45 PM EST, 1 hour 15 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BINGHAMTON NY
945 PM EST SAT FEB 24 2001

FIRST BATCH OF PCPN...MAINLY SNOW...IS NOW MVG INTO THE ERN THIRD OF
THE FCST AREA. TAIL END OF THE INTIAL AREA HAS A BIT OF SLEET AND
FRZG RAIN.

FIRST THING THAT JUMPS OUT OF THE CRNTS ARE THE VERY LOW DEW
PTS...MID 20S ALL THE WAY BACK TO ERN OH...EVEN IN AREA CRNTLY RCVG
PCPN. IMPRESSIVE AMT OF DRY AIR WILL AID IN THE EVAP COOLING PROCESS
AND PROLONG THE RISK OF FRZG RAIN.

QUESTION IS HOW MUCH PCPN WILL ACTUALLY MAKE IT INTO THE FCST AREA.
00Z ETA HAS A TGT NORTH/SOUTH QPF GRADIENT OVER THE FCST AREA. CORE
OF THE LOW LVL JET BRINGING MOISTURE AND WAA MOVES UP LAKE ERIE IN
XTRM SW ONTARIO. 40+ DBZ ECHOES NOW DVLG OVER CNTRL LAKE ERIE WILL
LIKELY ADVANCE NEWRD AHD OF THE NOSE OF THE JET. WEAKER ECHOES DVLPG
OVER CNTRL PA WILL BRING LGTR AMTS TO MOST OF THE FCST AREA.

QUARTER TO HALF INCH QPF SEEM RSNBL ESTIMATES ATTM...WITH THE
HEAVIEST AMTS LIKELY OVER THE FINGER LAKES. TREND IN THE PCPN IS FOR
SLEET AND FRZG RAIN IN THIS NEXT BATCH SO WILL WRD ZONES AS SUCH.
TEMPS IN ALL ZONES HAVE RCHD THEIR LOWS SO WILL GO UPDATE WRDG FOR
SLOWLY RISING TEMPS.

OTRW...KEEPING THE WARNING ALL ZONES ATTM AS WE LOOK DOWN THE BARREL
OF THE GUN.

.BGM...WINTER STORM WARNING TONIGHT AND SUNDAY MORNING IN ALL AREAS

MORFORD

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

7 ice storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Ice Storm, Bradford

When: February 24, 11:00 PM EST to February 25, 10:00 AM EST
Where: Bradford forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 41.789, -76.515 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Lackawanna

When: February 24, 11:00 PM EST to February 25, 10:00 AM EST
Where: Lackawanna forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 41.437, -75.609 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Luzerne

When: February 24, 11:00 PM EST to February 25, 10:00 AM EST
Where: Luzerne forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 41.177, -75.989 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Wyoming

When: February 24, 11:00 PM EST to February 25, 10:00 AM EST
Where: Wyoming forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 41.518, -76.016 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Pike

When: February 25, 12:00 AM EST to 12:00 PM EST
Where: Pike forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 41.332, -75.034 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Susquehanna

When: February 25, 12:00 AM EST to 11:00 AM EST
Where: Susquehanna forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 41.821, -75.801 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Wayne

When: February 25, 12:00 AM EST to 12:00 PM EST
Where: Wayne forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 41.649, -75.303 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Ice Storm: Freezing rain accumulating a quarter inch or more of ice, or less where it caused significant damage.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Pennsylvania in 2001 Every state in 2001 This day in weather history Warnings in Pennsylvania, February 2001

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: 5234420, 5234421, 5234422, 5234426, 5234423, 5234424, 5234425.