Pennsylvania, 2005

Heavy Snow in Pennsylvania, March 24, 2005

March 24, 2005 · NWS BGM · 8 events in 8 counties and zones

An intensifying storm moved north along the east coast on March 23rd and 24th. Light mixed precipitation moved into northeast Pennsylvania the morning of the 23rd before changing over to snow early in the afternoon.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 8 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
$80,000
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 BGM wrote it up.

An intensifying storm moved north along the east coast on March 23rd and 24th. Light mixed precipitation moved into northeast Pennsylvania the morning of the 23rd before changing over to snow early in the afternoon. The snow became heavy at times late in the afternoon and continued into the evening. Snowfall amounts were 6 to 8 inches with some amounts up to a foot mainly at higher elevations. Water equivalents of the snow were between half an inch and an inch. Hundreds of accidents occurred as people tried to get home after work during the height of the storm in the evening. Both interstate 80 and 81 in southern Luzerne County were closed for part of the evening. 7500 electric customers lost power in Luzerne County.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

8 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Bradford

When
March 24, 4:00 AM EST to 5:00 AM EST
Where
Bradford forecast zone
Property damage
$10,000
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
41.789, -76.515 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Lackawanna

When
March 24, 4:00 AM EST to 5:00 AM EST
Where
Lackawanna forecast zone
Property damage
$10,000
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
41.437, -75.609 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Luzerne

When
March 24, 4:00 AM EST to 5:00 AM EST
Where
Luzerne forecast zone
Property damage
$10,000
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
41.177, -75.989 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Northern Wayne

When
March 24, 4:00 AM EST to 5:00 AM EST
Where
Northern Wayne forecast zone
Property damage
$10,000
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
41.649, -75.303 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Pike

When
March 24, 4:00 AM EST to 5:00 AM EST
Where
Pike forecast zone
Property damage
$10,000
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
41.332, -75.034 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Southern Wayne

When
March 24, 4:00 AM EST to 5:00 AM EST
Where
Southern Wayne forecast zone
Property damage
$10,000
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
41.649, -75.303 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Susquehanna

When
March 24, 4:00 AM EST to 5:00 AM EST
Where
Susquehanna forecast zone
Property damage
$10,000
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
41.821, -75.801 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Wyoming

When
March 24, 4:00 AM EST to 5:00 AM EST
Where
Wyoming forecast zone
Property damage
$10,000
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
41.518, -76.016 (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

More

Every storm in Pennsylvania in 2005Every state in 2005This day in weather historyWarnings in Pennsylvania, March 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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5445556, 5445557, 5445558, 5445559, 5445560, 5445561, 5445562, 5445563.