Pennsylvania, 2002

Winter Weather in Pennsylvania, February 4, 2002

February 4, 2002 · NWS PHI · 7 events in 7 counties and zones

Snow showers associated with a strong cold front moved through eastern Pennsylvania during the afternoon and early evening of the 4th. They were widespread in the Poconos and became more widely scattered farther southeast.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 5 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.

What happened

The episode as NWS PHI wrote it up.

Snow showers associated with a strong cold front moved through eastern Pennsylvania during the afternoon and early evening of the 4th. They were widespread in the Poconos and became more widely scattered farther southeast. Accumulating snow showers occurred as far southeast as Philadelphia's northern suburbs. The combination of the snow, plunging temperatures and wind gusts of between 25 and 40 mph caused near whiteout conditions as well as extremely hazardous driving conditions. The worst traveling conditions occurred in the Poconos. A 15 vehicle and a 30 vehicle pile-up occurred on Interstate 80 during the afternoon. Poor visibility was blamed for the 30 vehicle accident on Interstate 80 between mile markers 273 and 277 in Carbon County. Two tractor trailers were involved, one a trash truck spilled its refuse onto the road. A second 15 vehicle accident occurred on Interstate 80 near Tobyhanna (Monroe County). Interstate 80 was closed through 9 p.m. EST and traffic was diverted onto Interstate 380 and Pennsylvania State Route 940. In Carbon County, U.S. Route 209 was closed for 90 minutes in Coaldale after a vehicle drove into and knocked over a utility pole. The snow showers also wreaked havoc on Pennsylvania State Routes 33 and 115 as well as many secondary and tertiary roads. Traffic was moving along at about 10 mph. A school bus collided with another vehicle on Pennsylvania State Route 903 (Monroe County), but there were no injuries. Some school children did not arrive home until 6 p.m. EST and schools in Carbon County were on a two hour delayed opening the next day. Specific accumulations included 4.5 inches in Albrightsville (Carbon County), 4.0 inches in Pocono Summit (Monroe County), 3.0 inches in Boyertown (Berks County), 2.9 inches in Pottstown (Montgomery County), 2.6 inches in Springtown (Bucks County), 2.0 inches in New Hope (Bucks County) and Blue Bell (Montgomery County), 1.5 inches in Reading (Berks County), 1.2 inches in Bath (Northampton County), 1.0 inch in Ambler (Montgomery County) and 0.7 inches at the Lehigh Valley International Airport.

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 Philadelphia/Mount Holly wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 4, 10:35 AM EST, 3 hours 25 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 4, 10:35 AM EST, 3 hours 25 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOUNT HOLLY NJ
1035 AM EST MON FEB 4 2002

MINOR UPDATE PLANNED TO RAISE POPS TO LKLY ALL AREAS THIS AFTN...
AND INDC TEMPS FALLING BACK AS NWLYS INCR.

NO CHGS TO MARINE HEADLINES.

ZONES WIBIS AT 1045 AM.

.PHI...GALE WRNG CST AND DE BAY.

KRAUS

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

7 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Weather, Berks

When
February 4, 2:00 PM EST to 7:00 PM EST
Where
Berks forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
40.416, -75.926 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Bucks

When
February 4, 2:00 PM EST to 7:00 PM EST
Where
Bucks forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER

Winter Weather, Carbon

When
February 4, 2:00 PM EST to 7:00 PM EST
Where
Carbon forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
40.918, -75.709 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Lehigh

When
February 4, 2:00 PM EST to 7:00 PM EST
Where
Lehigh forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
40.613, -75.592 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Monroe

When
February 4, 2:00 PM EST to 7:00 PM EST
Where
Monroe forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
41.058, -75.339 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Montgomery

When
February 4, 2:00 PM EST to 7:00 PM EST
Where
Montgomery forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER

Winter Weather, Northampton

When
February 4, 2:00 PM EST to 7:00 PM EST
Where
Northampton forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
40.754, -75.307 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Winter Weather
Snow, sleet or freezing rain below warning levels that still caused disruption, damage or casualties.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Pennsylvania in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in Pennsylvania, February 2002

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: 5282618, 5282619, 5282620, 5282621, 5282622, 5282623, 5282624.