Heavy Snow, Lackawanna
- When
- March 16, 7:00 PM EST to March 17, 7:00 AM EST
- Where
- Lackawanna forecast zone
- Property damage
- $20,000
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 41.437, -75.609 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow in Pennsylvania, March 16 to 17, 2004
Late on the 15th into the 16th, low pressure in the plains moved east as it intensified and became better organized. A stationary front went from this low east to North Carolina.
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
- $120,000
- 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.
Late on the 15th into the 16th, low pressure in the plains moved east as it intensified and became better organized. A stationary front went from this low east to North Carolina. Moisture was spread north into the area where cold air was near the surface. Snow started between 6 and 9 AM on the 16th. The low was off the Delmarva Peninsula the evening of the 16th before moving northeast further off the coast. The snow was at its heaviest from the late morning into the afternoon on the 16th. This snow intensity hindered drivers getting home during the afternoon and early evening. The snow tapered off to scattered snow showers the morning of the 17th. The snow was a widespread 5 to 9 inches.
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, Luzerne
- When
- March 16, 8:00 PM EST to March 17, 7:00 AM EST
- Where
- Luzerne forecast zone
- Property damage
- $20,000
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 41.177, -75.989 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Bradford
- When
- March 16, 10:00 PM EST to March 17, 7:00 AM EST
- Where
- Bradford forecast zone
- Property damage
- $20,000
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 41.789, -76.515 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Susquehanna
- When
- March 16, 10:00 PM EST to March 17, 7:00 AM EST
- Where
- Susquehanna forecast zone
- Property damage
- $20,000
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 41.821, -75.801 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Northern Wayne
- When
- March 16, 10:00 PM EST to March 17, 7:00 AM EST
- Where
- Northern Wayne forecast zone
- Property damage
- $20,000
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 41.649, -75.303 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Wyoming
- When
- March 16, 10:00 PM EST to March 17, 7:00 AM EST
- Where
- Wyoming forecast zone
- Property damage
- $20,000
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 41.518, -76.016 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Southern Wayne
- When
- March 16, 10:00 PM EST to March 17, 7:00 AM EST
- Where
- Southern Wayne forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 41.649, -75.303 (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 Ohio, March 16, 2004
- Heavy Snow in New York, March 16 to 17, 2004
- Heavy Snow in Pennsylvania, March 16, 2004
- Heavy Snow in New York, March 16 to 17, 2004
- Tornadoes in Florida, March 16, 2004
- Winter Storm in Ohio, March 16, 2004
- Heavy Snow in Pennsylvania, March 16, 2004
- Winter Storm in New York, March 16 to 17, 2004
- Heavy Snow in Massachusetts, March 16 to 17, 2004
- Winter Storm in Vermont, March 16 to 17, 2004
- Winter Storm and Winter Weather in New Jersey, March 16 to 17, 2004
- Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Pennsylvania, March 16 to 17, 2004
More
Every storm in Pennsylvania in 2004Every state in 2004This day in weather historyWarnings 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: 5387165, 5387166, 5387164, 5387167, 5387168, 5387169, 5387170.