Pennsylvania, 2004

Winter Weather in Pennsylvania, February 24, 2004

February 24, 2004 · NWS PHI · 8 events in 8 counties and zones

A weakening Alberta Clipper dropped between one and four inches of snow across much of Eastern Pennsylvania. The snow began falling around sunrise on the 24th and ended during the late afternoon and early evening.

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
8

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 weakening Alberta Clipper dropped between one and four inches of snow across much of Eastern Pennsylvania. The snow began falling around sunrise on the 24th and ended during the late afternoon and early evening. Because air temperatures were around freezing and most of the snow fell during the day, it mainly accumulated on just grassy surfaces. The only main exception was in Berks County where it snowed the heaviest and several snow related accidents occurred. In Amity Township, a three vehicle accident occurred on the Ben Franklin Highway and a 22-year-old woman suffered a serious head injury. In Reading, the intersection of Robeson and McKnight Streets was closed for about five hours after a home heating oil delivery truck rolled onto its passenger side and 40 gallons of oil spilled on the roadway. Accidents caused a couple of other roadway closures in Amity and Spring Townships.In all areas, as skies cleared later during the evening, standing, untreated water and slush froze and caused hazardous traveling conditions. Accumulations included 3.7 inches in Wyomissing (Berks County), 3.6 inches in Saylorsburg (Monroe County), 3.5 inches in Fredericksville (Berks County), 3.4 inches in Boyertown (Berks County), 3.1 inches in Lehighton (Carbon County), 2.5 inches in Williams Township (Northampton County), 2.3 inches in Palm (Montgomery County), 2.2 inches at the Lehigh Valley International Airport, 2.0 inches in Pocono Summit and Forks Township (Northampton County), 1.9 inches in Springtown (Bucks County) and 1.5 inches in Blue Bell (Montgomery County) and 1.3 inches in Phoenixville (Chester County). Accumulations around the local Philadelphia area were less than one inch and in many places less than half an inch. The Alberta low pressure system that brought the snow moved from the central Ohio Valley at 7 p.m. EST on the 23rd east into West Virginia around sunrise on the 24th and to the Virginia/North Carolina border during the early afternoon on the 24th. This low pressure system merged east of North Carolina during the early evening on the 24th with another developing low pressure system that formed on the South Carolina coastal waters earlier that day. By 7 a.m. EST on the 25th, the low pressure system was well offshore, about 500 miles east of the Delmarva Peninsula.

The radar

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

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Event by event

8 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Weather, Carbon

When
February 24, 5:00 AM EST to 5:00 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, Monroe

When
February 24, 5:00 AM EST to 5:00 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, Berks

When
February 24, 6:00 AM EST to 6:00 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, Chester

When
February 24, 7:00 AM EST to 7:00 PM EST
Where
Chester forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER

Winter Weather, Lehigh

When
February 24, 7:00 AM 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, Northampton

When
February 24, 7:00 AM 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)

Winter Weather, Montgomery

When
February 24, 8:00 AM EST to 7:00 PM EST
Where
Montgomery forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER

Winter Weather, Bucks

When
February 24, 9:00 AM EST to 7:00 PM EST
Where
Bucks forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER

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 2004Every state in 2004This day in weather historyWarnings in Pennsylvania, February 2004

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: 5385023, 5385026, 5385021, 5385024, 5385025, 5385028, 5385027, 5385022.