Heavy Snow in Pennsylvania, January 27 to 28, 2004

Name: Heavy Snow in Pennsylvania, January 27 to 28, 2004
Start: 2004-01-27T17:00
End: 2004-01-28T10:00
Location: Pennsylvania

January 27 to 28, 2004 · NWS PBZ · 7 events in 7 counties and zones

Snow began the afternoon of the 27th. Some places in northern Pennsylvania reached 6" by evening; Indiana County reached 6" by midnight on 28th.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 4 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: 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 PBZ wrote it up.

Snow began the afternoon of the 27th. Some places in northern Pennsylvania reached 6" by evening; Indiana County reached 6" by midnight on 28th. By the time it was over, total accumulations were 12 inches in Armstrong County; 9 in Clarion and Venango; 7 in Indiana; 6 in Fayette and Jefferson. Westmoreland County had totals ranging from 6 to 14 inches. Patches of freezing rain added to the misery and caused numerous traffic accidents.

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 27, 3:50 PM EST, 1 hour 10 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 27, 3:50 PM EST, 1 hour 10 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 27, 5:00 AM EST, 12 hours before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA
500 AM EST TUE JAN 27 2004

MDZ001-OHZ039>041-048>050-057>059-068-069-PAZ007>009-013>016-020>023-
029>032-WVZ001>004-012-021>023-041-271200-
ALLEGHENY PA-ARMSTRONG PA-BEAVER PA-BELMONT OH-BROOKE WV-BUTLER PA-
CARROLL OH-CLARION PA-COLUMBIANA OH-COSHOCTON OH-FAYETTE PA-
FOREST PA-GARRETT MD-GREENE PA-GUERNSEY OH-HANCOCK WV-HARRISON OH-
INDIANA PA-JEFFERSON PA-JEFFERSON OH-LAWRENCE PA-MARION WV-
MARSHALL WV-MERCER PA-MONONGALIA WV-MONROE OH-MUSKINGUM OH-NOBLE OH-
OHIO WV-PRESTON WV-TUCKER WV-TUSCARAWAS OH-VENANGO PA-WASHINGTON PA-
WESTMORELAND PA-WETZEL WV-
500 AM EST TUE JAN 27 2004

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
EAST CENTRAL OHIO...NORTHERN WEST VIRGINIA AND
GARRETT COUNTY MARYLAND.

.DAY ONE...TODAY

PATCHY LIGHT FREEZING RAIN AND RAIN ACROSS THE AREA WILL BECOME
MORE WIDESPREAD AS THE MORNING PROGRESSES.  ADDITIONAL ICE
ACCUMULATION OF A TENTH OF AN INCH IS POSSIBLE OVER AREAS TO THE
NORTH OF PITTSBURGH.   PRECIPITATION WILL TURN TO ALL SNOW DURING
THE AFTERNOON.

SNOW IS EXPECTED TO ACCUMULATE 2 TO 5 INCHES ACROSS THE AREA BY
WEDNESDAY MORNING...WITH UP TO 9 INCHES EXPECTED ON THE RIDGETOPS
BEFORE THE STORM SYSTEM EXITS THE AREA.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT...

15

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jan 27, 11:13 AM EST, 5 hours 47 minutes before

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Special weather statement, Jan 27, 11:41 AM EST, 5 hours 19 minutes before

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Special weather statement, Jan 27, 12:59 PM EST, 4 hours 1 minute before

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Special weather statement, Jan 27, 1:19 PM EST, 3 hours 41 minutes before

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Special weather statement, Jan 27, 3:42 PM EST, 1 hour 18 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

7 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Fayette

When: January 27, 5:00 PM EST to January 28, 10:00 AM EST
Where: Fayette forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

Heavy Snow, Jefferson

When: January 27, 5:00 PM EST to January 28, 10:00 AM EST
Where: Jefferson forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 41.128, -78.999 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Westmoreland

When: January 27, 5:00 PM EST to January 28, 10:00 AM EST
Where: Westmoreland forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

Heavy Snow, Armstrong

When: January 27, 7:00 PM EST to January 28, 10:00 AM EST
Where: Armstrong forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 40.812, -79.464 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Clarion

When: January 27, 8:00 PM EST to January 28, 10:00 AM EST
Where: Clarion forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 41.192, -79.421 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Indiana

When: January 28, 12:00 AM EST to 10:00 AM EST
Where: Indiana forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

Heavy Snow, Venango

When: January 28, 12:00 AM EST to 10:00 AM EST
Where: Venango forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 41.401, -79.758 (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

Every storm in Pennsylvania in 2004 Every state in 2004 This day in weather history Warnings in Pennsylvania, January 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: 5380794, 5380796, 5380798, 5380792, 5380793, 5380795, 5380797.