Heavy Snow in Pennsylvania, January 15, 2003

Name: Heavy Snow in Pennsylvania, January 15, 2003
Start: 2003-01-15T00:00
End: 2003-01-15T19:00
Location: Pennsylvania

January 15, 2003 · NWS CLE · 1 event in 1 county or zone

1 heavy snow, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 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: $100,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 1

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.

The radar

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

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Event by event

1 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Southern Erie

When: January 15, 12:00 AM EST to 7:00 PM EST
Where: Southern Erie forecast zone
Property damage: $100,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 42.118, -80.098 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold westerly winds blowing across Lake Erie caused lake effect snow showers to develop around midnight. These snow showers intensified during the morning hours and continued through the afternoon. This activity finally dissipated during the evening hours. As much as a foot of snow fell in southern Erie County by early afternoon. Total accumulations of up to 18 inches were reported. Wind gusts as high as 25 mph caused considerable blowing and drifting with visibilities reduced to near zero at times.

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

Every storm in Pennsylvania in 2003 Every state in 2003 This day in weather history Warnings in Pennsylvania, January 2003

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: 5339409.