Pennsylvania, 2001

Heavy Snow in Pennsylvania, March 4 to 6, 2001

March 4 to 6, 2001 · NWS BGM · 7 events in 7 counties and zones

A major winter storm moved slowly north along the east coast of the United States. The storm was on the Virginia coast on the afternoon of the 4th.

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 major winter storm moved slowly north along the east coast of the United States. The storm was on the Virginia coast on the afternoon of the 4th. Snow moved north quickly into northeast Pennsylvania that afternoon. Snowfall rates were one inch an hour. The snow continued for the most part continuously for two days. Midday on the 5th, the storm was off the New Jersey coast. The storm then moved very little until late on the 6th when it moved east out to sea. Snowfall totals were 6 to 20 inches. The greatest amounts were in the northern tier.

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 Mar 4, 10:03 AM EST, 2 hours 57 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 4, 10:03 AM EST, 2 hours 57 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BINGHAMTON NY
1003 AM EST SUN MAR 4 2001

WILL MAKE MINOR TWEAKS TO FIRST PERIOD OF FORECAST. CLOUD SHIELD
HAS SPREAD ACROSS ENTIRE CWA AND WILL CHANGE WORDING TO CLOUDY IN
ALL ZONES. WILL ALSO LOWER MAX TEMPS A CAT ACROSS CNTRL ZONES.

NO CHANGE TO LATER PERIODS. MAY HAVE TO UPGRADE WINTER STORM
WARNINGS TO BLIZZARD WARNINGS OVR PARTS OF CWA WITH AFTERNOON
PACKAGE. ALL INGREDIENTS COMING TOGETHER.

.BGM...WINTER STORM WARNING TONIGHT INTO TUESDAY ALL ZONES EXCEPT
       NRN ONEIDA COUNTY.

       WINTER STORM WARNING LATE TONIGHT INTO TUESDAY FOR NRN ONEIDA
       COUNTY.

RRM

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
March 4, 1:00 PM EST to March 6, 5:00 PM EST
Where
Bradford forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
41.789, -76.515 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Lackawanna

When
March 4, 1:00 PM EST to March 6, 5:00 PM EST
Where
Lackawanna forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
41.437, -75.609 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Luzerne

When
March 4, 1:00 PM EST to March 6, 5:00 PM EST
Where
Luzerne forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
41.177, -75.989 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Pike

When
March 4, 1:00 PM EST to March 6, 5:00 PM EST
Where
Pike forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
41.332, -75.034 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Susquehanna

When
March 4, 1:00 PM EST to March 6, 5:00 PM EST
Where
Susquehanna forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
41.821, -75.801 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Wayne

When
March 4, 1:00 PM EST to March 6, 5:00 PM EST
Where
Wayne forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
41.649, -75.303 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Wyoming

When
March 4, 1:00 PM EST to March 6, 5:00 PM EST
Where
Wyoming forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
41.518, -76.016 (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 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in Pennsylvania, March 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: 5237627, 5237628, 5237629, 5237630, 5237631, 5237632, 5237633.