Heavy Snow in Pennsylvania, March 16, 2004

Name: Heavy Snow in Pennsylvania, March 16, 2004
Start: 2004-03-16T16:00
End: 2004-03-16T20:00
Location: Pennsylvania

March 16, 2004 · NWS PBZ · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

Heavy snow began in the morning of the 16th. Most places received 6 inches of snow, but Tionesta in Forest County got 7.

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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 5

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.

Heavy snow began in the morning of the 16th. Most places received 6 inches of snow, but Tionesta in Forest County got 7.

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 Mar 16, 3:40 PM EST, 20 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 16, 3:40 PM EST, 20 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Mar 16, 5:23 AM EST, 10 hours 37 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA
523 AM EST TUE MAR 16 2004

MDZ001-OHZ039>041-048>050-057>059-068-069-PAZ007>009-013>016-020>023-
029>032-WVZ001>004-012-021>023-041-161200-
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-
523 AM EST TUE MAR 16 2004

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

.DAY ONE...TODAY

WINTER STORM WARNINGS OR WINTER WEATHER ADVISORIES ARE IN EFFECT FOR
THE ENTIRE FORECAST AREA. SEE BELOW FOR DETAILS...

FOR...CLARION PA-FOREST PA-JEFFERSON PA-MERCER PA-VENANGO PA

...WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM EST THIS EVENING...

SNOW TODAY WILL ACCUMULATE 6 TO 10 INCHES ALONG WITH SOME BLOWING
SNOW AT TIMES.

FOR...ARMSTRONG PA-BUTLER PA-INDIANA PA-LAWRENCE PA

...WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM EST THIS EVENING...

SNOW TODAY WILL ACCUMULATE 6 TO 8 INCHES ALONG WITH SOME BLOWING SNOW
AT TIMES.

FOR...BEAVER PA-COLUMBIANA OH

...WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM EST THIS EVENING...

SNOW TODAY WILL ACCUMULATE 5 TO 7 INCHES ALONG WITH SOME BLOWING SNOW
AT TIMES.

FOR...FAYETTE PA-WESTMORELAND PA

...WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM EST THIS EVENING...

SNOW TODAY WILL ACCUMULATE 6 TO 8 INCHES ON THE RIDGES ALONG WITH
SOME BLOWING SNOW. ELSEWHERE 3 TO 6 INCHES IS EXPECTED. SNOW MAY MIX
WITH SLEET CAUSING SOME ICE ACCUMULATION.

FOR...GARRETT MD-PRESTON WV-TUCKER WV

...WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM EST THIS EVENING...

SNOW TODAY WILL ACCUMULATE 6 INCHES AT THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS ALONG
WITH SOME BLOWING SNOW. ELSEWHERE 2 TO 4 INCHES IS EXPECTED. SNOW MAY
MIX WITH SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN CAUSING SOME ICE ACCUMULATION.

FOR...MARION WV-MONONGALIA WV-MONROE OH-NOBLE OH-WETZEL WV

...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 AM EST THIS MORNING...

SNOW TODAY MAY MIX WITH SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN BEFORE CHANGING TO
RAIN. SNOW MAY ACCUMULATE 1 TO 3 INCHES ALONG WITH SOME ICE
ACCUMULATIONS DURING THE MORNING.

FOR...ALLEGHENY PA

...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM EST THIS EVENING...

SNOW TODAY MAY MIX WITH SLEET. SNOW ACCUMULATION 4 TO 6 INCHES WITH
THE HIGHER AMOUNTS EXPECTED IN THE NORTHERN SECTIONS OF THE COUNTY.

FOR...BROOKE WV-CARROLL OH-HANCOCK WV-JEFFERSON OH-OHIO
WV-WASHINGTON PA

...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM EST THIS EVENING...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PITTSBURGH SAYS THAT A WINTER WEATHER
ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT TODAY.

SNOW TODAY MAY MIX WITH SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN. SNOW ACCUMULATION 3
TO 5 INCHES IS EXPECTED ALONG WITH SOME ICE ACCUMULATIONS. SOUTH OF
INTERSTATE 70 SNOW MAY MIX WITH RAIN THIS AFTERNOON.

FOR...COSHOCTON OH-HARRISON OH-TUSCARAWAS OH

...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM EST THIS EVENING...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PITTSBURGH SAYS THAT A WINTER WEATHER
ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT TODAY.

SNOW TODAY MAY MIX WITH SLEET. SNOW ACCUMULATION 4 TO 6 INCHES.

FOR...BELMONT OH-GREENE PA-GUERNSEY OH-MARSHALL WV-MUSKINGUM OH

...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM EST THIS EVENING...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PITTSBURGH SAYS THAT A WINTER WEATHER
ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT TODAY.

SNOW TODAY MAY MIX WITH SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN THIS MORNING. SNOW
MAY ACCUMULATE 2 TO 4 INCHES ALONG WITH SOME ICE ACCUMULATIONS.
SNOW MAY MIX WITH RAIN THIS AFTERNOON.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...

SNOW WILL CONTINUE IN THE EVENING HOURS OF TUESDAY WITH AN ADDITIONAL
1 TO 2 INCHES OF SNOW POSSIBLE.

.SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT...

SPOTTERS PLEASE REPORT EVERY 2 INCHES OF NEW SNOW AND ANY FREEZING
PRECIPITATION.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Mar 16, 11:06 AM EST, 4 hours 54 minutes before

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Special weather statement, Mar 16, 11:17 AM EST, 4 hours 43 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

5 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Clarion

When: March 16, 4:00 PM EST to 8:00 PM 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, Forest

When: March 16, 4:00 PM EST to 8:00 PM EST
Where: Forest forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 41.513, -79.236 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Jefferson

When: March 16, 4:00 PM EST to 8:00 PM 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, Mercer

When: March 16, 4:00 PM EST to 8:00 PM EST
Where: Mercer forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 41.302, -80.258 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Venango

When: March 16, 4:00 PM EST to 8:00 PM 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, March 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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5386885, 5386886, 5386887, 5386888, 5386889.