Ice Storm in Pennsylvania, January 11, 2005

Name: Ice Storm in Pennsylvania, January 11, 2005
Start: 2005-01-11T13:00
End: 2005-01-11T18:00
Location: Pennsylvania

January 11, 2005 · NWS PBZ · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

Freezing rain began just before noon and ended by 6 PM. 4 inches thick.

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: $25,000
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.

Freezing rain began just before noon and ended by 6 PM. This left an ice coating from 0.3 to 0.4 inches thick. Between 2 and 4 inches of snow fell, from 6 am to noon, before the ice storm began.

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 11, 8:39 AM EST, 4 hours 21 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 11, 8:39 AM EST, 4 hours 21 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 11, 4:34 AM EST, 8 hours 26 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA
434 AM EST TUE JAN 11 2005

MDZ001-OHZ039>041-048>050-057>059-068-069-PAZ007>009-013>016-020>023-
029>032-WVZ001>004-012-021>023-041-120933-
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-
434 AM EST TUE JAN 11 2005

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

.DAY ONE...TODAY

FREEZING RAIN AND SNOW WILL AFFECT AREAS ALONG AND NORTH OF
INTERSTATE 80 TODAY.  A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR
THOSE AREAS.  WINTRY PRECIPITATION WILL CHANGE TO ALL RAIN LATE IN
THE DAY.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED.

15

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

5 ice storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Ice Storm, Mercer

When: January 11, 1:00 PM EST to 6:00 PM EST
Where: Mercer forecast zone
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 41.302, -80.258 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Venango

When: January 11, 1:00 PM EST to 6:00 PM EST
Where: Venango forecast zone
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 41.401, -79.758 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Forest

When: January 11, 1:00 PM EST to 6:00 PM EST
Where: Forest forecast zone
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 41.513, -79.236 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Clarion

When: January 11, 1:00 PM EST to 6:00 PM EST
Where: Clarion forecast zone
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 41.192, -79.421 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Jefferson

When: January 11, 1:00 PM EST to 6:00 PM EST
Where: Jefferson forecast zone
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 41.128, -78.999 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Ice Storm: Freezing rain accumulating a quarter inch or more of ice, or less where it caused significant damage.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Pennsylvania in 2005 Every state in 2005 This day in weather history Warnings in Pennsylvania, January 2005

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: 5434111, 5434112, 5434113, 5434114, 5434115.