Pennsylvania, 2002

Heavy Snow in Pennsylvania, January 6 to 7, 2002

January 6 to 7, 2002 · NWS PBZ · 6 events in 6 counties and zones

A winter storm spread heavy snow across sections of southwest Pennsylvania. The snow started falling during the early morning hours of the 6th, with several inches accumulating by midday.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 3 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
6

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 PBZ wrote it up.

A winter storm spread heavy snow across sections of southwest Pennsylvania. The snow started falling during the early morning hours of the 6th, with several inches accumulating by midday. The snow finally tapered to flurries by early morning hours on the 7th. Final snowfall totals across the counties were as follows: Fayette and Westmoreland Counties 5-10 inches (highest totals along the ridges); Indiana County 5-8 inches; Greene, Jefferson and Washington Counties 5-7 inches.

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 Pittsburgh, PA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 6, 3:15 PM EST, 2 hours 45 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 6, 3:15 PM EST, 2 hours 45 minutes before
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The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

6 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Fayette

When
January 6, 6:00 PM EST to January 7, 7:00 AM EST
Where
Fayette forecast zone
Reported by
DEPT OF HIGHWAYS

Heavy Snow, Westmoreland

When
January 6, 6:00 PM EST to January 7, 7:00 AM EST
Where
Westmoreland forecast zone
Reported by
DEPT OF HIGHWAYS

Heavy Snow, Indiana

When
January 6, 9:00 PM EST to January 7, 7:00 AM EST
Where
Indiana forecast zone
Reported by
DEPT OF HIGHWAYS

Heavy Snow, Greene

When
January 6, 10:00 PM EST to January 7, 7:00 AM EST
Where
Greene forecast zone
Reported by
DEPT OF HIGHWAYS
Coordinates
39.854, -80.223 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Jefferson

When
January 6, 10:00 PM EST to January 7, 7:00 AM EST
Where
Jefferson forecast zone
Reported by
DEPT OF HIGHWAYS
Coordinates
41.128, -78.999 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Washington

When
January 7, 4:00 AM EST to 7:00 AM EST
Where
Washington forecast zone
Reported by
DEPT OF HIGHWAYS
Coordinates
40.189, -80.248 (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 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in Pennsylvania, January 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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5278316, 5278321, 5278318, 5278317, 5278319, 5278320.