Heavy Snow, Bradford
- When
- January 3, 3:00 PM EST to January 4, 9:00 AM EST
- Where
- Bradford forecast zone
- Property damage
- $500,000
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 41.789, -76.515 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow in Pennsylvania, January 3 to 4, 2003
A slow moving nor'easter moved from the southeast United States early on the 3rd to the Delmarva peninsula that evening. The storm then moved to the southeast New England coast the morning 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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $2.5 million
- 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 slow moving nor'easter moved from the southeast United States early on the 3rd to the Delmarva peninsula that evening. The storm then moved to the southeast New England coast the morning of the 4th. Snow spread well ahead of the storm into central New York the evening of the 2nd. The snow was heavy at times on the 3rd during the day into the evening. Snow spread well ahead of the storm into northeast Pennsylvania the evening of the 2nd. The snow was heavy at times on the 3rd during the day into the evening. Snowfall amounts were 4 to 9 inches in Lackawanna and Luzerne Counties. Elsewhere amounts were mostly between 8 and 14 inches. A few higher amounts up to 20 inches were in Susquehanna and northern Wayne Counties. Water equivalents were mostly half an inch to an inch. The weight of the snow combined with the weight of ice from the New Year's day storm caused additional power outages . A few thousand customers lost power across the northern tier. All of the major roads had motor vehicle accidents. Some were serious enough to close the interstate highways.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
7 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy Snow, Susquehanna
- When
- January 3, 3:00 PM EST to January 4, 10:00 AM EST
- Where
- Susquehanna forecast zone
- Property damage
- $500,000
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 41.821, -75.801 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Wayne
- When
- January 3, 5:00 PM EST to January 4, 10:00 AM EST
- Where
- Wayne forecast zone
- Property damage
- $300,000
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 41.649, -75.303 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Lackawanna
- When
- January 3, 7:00 PM EST to January 4, 9:00 AM EST
- Where
- Lackawanna forecast zone
- Property damage
- $300,000
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 41.437, -75.609 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Luzerne
- When
- January 3, 7:00 PM EST to January 4, 9:00 AM EST
- Where
- Luzerne forecast zone
- Property damage
- $300,000
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 41.177, -75.989 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Pike
- When
- January 3, 7:00 PM EST to January 4, 10:00 AM EST
- Where
- Pike forecast zone
- Property damage
- $300,000
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 41.332, -75.034 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Wyoming
- When
- January 3, 7:00 PM EST to January 4, 9:00 AM EST
- Where
- Wyoming forecast zone
- Property damage
- $300,000
- 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
- Heavy Snow in New York, January 3 to 4, 2003
- Dense Fog in California, January 3 to 5, 2003
- Winter Storm in New York, January 3 to 4, 2003
- Storm Surge and Winter Storm in Massachusetts, January 3 to 4, 2003
- Flooding and Heavy Snow in Maine, January 3 to 5, 2003
- Flood and Heavy Snow in New Hampshire, January 3 to 5, 2003
- Heavy Snow in New York, January 3, 2003
- High Wind in Montana, January 3 to 4, 2003
- High Wind in Montana, January 3, 2003
- Blizzard and High Wind in Alaska, January 3 to 5, 2003
- Winter Storm in New York, January 3 to 4, 2003
- Storm Surge in New Jersey, January 3, 2003
More
Every storm in Pennsylvania in 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyWarnings 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: 5341061, 5341065, 5341066, 5341062, 5341063, 5341064, 5341067.