Winter Weather in Pennsylvania, December 11 to 12, 2002

Low pressure on the gulf coast on the 10th moved northeast to be off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina the morning of the 11th. The storm moved north to be off the New Jersey coast that evening then moved northeast off of Cape Cod the morning of the 12th. Precipitation moved into northeast Pennsylvania between 8 and 9 in the morning on the 11th. Precipitation fell in the form of rain but froze to roads and other surfaces with temperatures in the upper 20s. Sleet mixed in with the freezing rain at times at the beginning of the event. In southern parts of Pike and Luzerne Counties temperatures rose above freezing for most of the afternoon. The rain and freezing rain was heavy at times during the afternoon. Rainfall amounts were up to an inch. Freezing rain accretions were up to half an inch. The freezing rain caused numerous accidents which closed most of the major thoroughfares including, Interstates 81, 80, and 84. Several counties declared states of emergencies. The freezing rain also brought down trees and power lines. This was especially true across the higher elevations. The freezing rain changed to snow on the evening of the 11th. The wet snow then continued heavy at times into the next morning. Snowfall amounts for Pike and Luzerne Counties were up to two inches. The remainder of the counties further north received 2 to 8 inches of snow. The heaviest snow of 6 to 8 inches was from Wyoming County eastward across southern Susquehanna, northern Lackawanna, into northern Wayne Counties. Total water equivalents for the entire storm were mostly between an inch and an inch and a half. The freezing rain and the heavy wet snow caused hundreds of customers to lose power.