Winter Weather in Pennsylvania, January 5, 2003

Name: Winter Weather in Pennsylvania, January 5, 2003
Start: 2003-01-05T12:00
End: 2003-01-05T21:00
Location: Pennsylvania

January 5, 2003 · NWS PHI · 6 events in 6 counties and zones

A potent Alberta Clipper produced two to four and a half inches of snow across Berks County and southeastern Pennsylvania. Accumulations farther north were less than two inches.

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 PHI wrote it up.

A potent Alberta Clipper produced two to four and a half inches of snow across Berks County and southeastern Pennsylvania. Accumulations farther north were less than two inches. The largest accumulations were in Chester County. Snow began falling around Noon EST and was the heaviest during the afternoon. It ended during the evening. Many roads became slippery and snow covered. Many minor accidents were reported in Bucks County. Both U.S. Route 202 in Chester County and U.S. Route 422 in Montgomery County were both described as being in poor shape. Accumulations included 4.6 inches in Kennett Square (Chester County), 4.5 inches in Thorndale (Chester County), 4 inches in Honeybrook (Chester County), 3.7 inches in Newtown Square (Delaware County), 3.6 inches in West Chester (Chester County), 3.0 inches in Ambler (Montgomery County), Birdsboro (Berks County) and Reading (Berks County), 2.9 inches in Clifton Heights (Delaware County), 2.6 inches at the Philadelphia International Airport, 2.5 inches in Wynnewood (Montgomery County), 2.1 inches in Furlong (Bucks County) and 2.0 inches in New Hope and Southampton (Bucks County) and Norristown and Green Lane (Montgomery County) The low pressure system formed in Saskatchewan Province on the third, moved southeast to Minnesota on the morning of the 4th, southern Indiana on the morning of the 5th and was well east of the Delmarva Peninsula during the morning of the 6th. Historically, Alberta type low pressure systems usually do not produce heavy snow. But the air at mid levels of the atmosphere was quite cold and this enhanced the instability with this low pressure system. While no thunderstorms occurred, the instability did produce heavier precipitation.

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 Jan 5, 12:00 PM EST, 0 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 5, 12:00 PM EST, 0 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 5, 4:34 AM EST, 7 hours 26 minutes before

DEZ001>004-MDZ008-012-015-019-020-NJZ001-007>010-012>027-PAZ054-055-
060>062-067>071-051130-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOUNT HOLLY NJ
434 AM EST SUN JAN 5 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EAST CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST
PENNSYLVANIA...DELAWARE...THE NORTHERN MARYLAND EASTERN SHORE...AND
NEW JERSEY EXCLUDING THE FIVE NORTHEAST COUNTIES.

.DAY ONE...TODAY

LIGHT SNOW WILL SPREAD ACROSS THE AREA THIS AFTERNOON AND END EARLY
TONIGHT. AN INCH OR TWO ACCUMULATION IS POSSIBLE.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED.

JWH

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jan 5, 11:30 AM EST, 30 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 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Weather, Berks

When: January 5, 12:00 PM EST to 9:00 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: January 5, 12:00 PM EST to 9:00 PM EST
Where: Bucks forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

Winter Weather, Chester

When: January 5, 12:00 PM EST to 9:00 PM EST
Where: Chester forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

Winter Weather, Delaware

When: January 5, 12:00 PM EST to 9:00 PM EST
Where: Delaware forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 39.917, -75.399 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Montgomery

When: January 5, 12:00 PM EST to 9:00 PM EST
Where: Montgomery forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

Winter Weather, Philadelphia

When: January 5, 12:00 PM EST to 9:00 PM EST
Where: Philadelphia forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 40.008, -75.134 (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

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: 5341276, 5341277, 5341278, 5341279, 5341280, 5341281.