A slow moving and intense low pressure system combined with a high pressure ridge across the Mississippi Valley to produce a prolonged period of strong to high winds across Eastern Pennsylvania from the second half of the afternoon on the 14th through the late afternoon on the 15th. m.
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.
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.
The episode as NWS PHI wrote it up.
A slow moving and intense low pressure system combined with a high pressure ridge across the Mississippi Valley to produce a prolonged period of strong to high winds across Eastern Pennsylvania from the second half of the afternoon on the 14th through the late afternoon on the 15th. The strongest wind gusts occurred between 3 a.m. and 7 a.m. EST on the 15th. The persistent strong winds combined with ground that was wet and not frozen ground caused more tree damage than normally would be the case. Numerous downed trees and limbs consequently helped snap poles, bring lines down and caused numerous power outages. Pennsylvania Power and Light, Metropolitan Edison and PECO Energy reported about 205,000 of their customers throughout Eastern Pennsylvania lost power. It took until the 17th for all power to be restored. The high and strong winds also peeled roofs and gutters from several structures. Several homes and businesses were also damaged by downed trees. Roads were closed by downed trees. No serious injuries were reported. In Carbon County, in Lansdale three roofs were peeled from connected homes. In Lehighton, siding, pieces of roofs and gutters were stripped from a few homes. A playhouse was totally leveled by a downed tree. About 8,000 homes and businesses lost power. In Monroe County, four trees fell on one home in Stroud Township. About 28,000 homes and businesses lost power. In Northampton County, there were about 175 reports of downed trees. Large outages were reported in Bath, Bangor, Upper Mount Bethel and Nazareth. A Red Cross shelter was opened in Upper Mount Bethel to help several families. Pennsylvania Power and Light and Metropolitan Edison reported about 67,000 homes and businesses lost power in the Lehigh Valley. In Berks County, the 12 foot spire atop the Albright College Chapel in Reading was toppled. In Hamburg, the winds blew off a section of a warehouse roof. It also knocked the bricks from the facade of another building. In Windsor Township, the light standard of a vehicle dealership fell on and damaged four vehicles. In Marion Township, the wind knocked over a portable heater in a barn which ignited the straw. The barn was destroyed. In Delaware County, in Marple Township, a seven year old boy narrowly escaped serious injury when an uprooted 125 foot oak tree fell into his bedroom. In Ridley Township, the roof of Our Lady Queen of Peace Elementary School was pushed upward to form a peak. Debris was scattered on the playground. In Upper Providence Township, the Media bypass was closed by a downed tree. In Bucks County, a woman was trapped in her vehicle in Bensalem Township by downed wires. A couple of roads were closed in Bucks and Montgomery Counties by downed trees. PECO Energy reported about 45,000 homes and businesses lost power in the local Philadelphia area. Specific wind gusts included 61 mph in Tobyhanna (Monroe County) and Downingtown (Chester County), 55 mph in Mount Pocono (Monroe County), 53 mph at the Philadelphia International Airport, 51 mph in Reading (Berks County), 49 mph at the Lehigh Valley International Airport, 46 mph in West Chester (Chester County) and 45 mph in Pottstown (Montgomery County). The intense low pressure system that was responsible for the winds moved from the Delaware Valley during the early afternoon on the 14th, to the New Jersey coast at 7 p.m. EST on the 14th, onto Long Island at 10 p.m. EST on the 14th, in the New England coastal waters east of Massachusetts at 7 a.m. EST on the 15th and into Nova Scotia by early in the afternoon on the 15th. As the low pressure system exited Nova Scotia and the high pressure system built east into the Ohio Valley, winds started diminishing during the late afternoon on the 15th.
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 Philadelphia/Mount Holly wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 14, 12:58 PM EST, 2 hours 2 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOUNT HOLLY NJ
1258 PM EST SAT JAN 14 2006
.THIRD UPDATE...
ANOTHER UPDATE WAS ISSUED TO EXTEND THE WIND ADVISORY THROUGH
SUNDAY, AS IT APPEARS THAT CRITERIA WILL BE MET IN THE STRONG
POST-FRONTAL FLOW. ALSO, THE REFERENCE TO PATCHY FOG IN THE
PHILADELPHIA AREA AND TO THE SOUTH AND EAST WAS DELETED AS THE FRONT
MOVING THROUGH CAUSED CONDITIONS TO IMPROVE.
&&
.PHI WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
PA...WIND ADVISORY FOR PAZ054-055-060>062-067>071 FROM 7 PM
SATURDAY TO 6 PM SUNDAY.
NJ...WIND ADVISORY FOR NJZ001-007>010-012-013-015>023-027 FROM 7 PM
SATURDAY TO 6 PM SUNDAY.
DE...WIND ADVISORY FOR DEZ001>003 FROM 7 PM SATURDAY TO 6 PM SUNDAY.
MD...WIND ADVISORY FOR MDZ008-012-015-019-020 FROM 7 PM SATURDAY TO
6 PM SUNDAY.
MARINE...GALE WARNING FOR ANZ430-431-450>455 FROM 11 PM SATURDAY TO
1 AM MONDAY.
...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR ANZ430-431-450>455 UNTIL 11 PM
SATURDAY.
...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR ANZ430-431-450>455 FROM 1 AM MONDAY
TO 1 PM MONDAY.
&&
.SECOND UPDATE...
ANOTHER UPDATE WILL BE SENT SHORTLY TO FRESHEN THINGS FOR THIS
AFTERNOON. BASICALLY NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES WERE MADE, AS WE EXPECT
SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SHOWERS WITH MOSTLY CLOUDY SKIES AS THE FRONT
PASSES THROUGH THE AREA. WINDS WILL BE SHIFTING, AND TEMPERATURES
DROPPING AS IS CURRENTLY ILLUSTRATED IN THE GRIDS. ONE CHANGE MADE
WAS TO ADD IN PATCHY FOG FOR THE PHILADELPHIA METRO ZONES
SOUTHEASTWARD TO SOUTHERN NEW JERSEY FOR A COUPLE OF HOURS, WHERE
SOME SPOTS HAVE DROPPED TO 1/4 TO 1/2 MILE, UNTIL THE FRONT MOVES
THROUGH. A NOWCAST WAS ISSUED ON THIS A SHORT TIME AGO.
&&
.UPDATE...
WE WILL UPDATE THE GRIDS, TEXT, AND TABLE FORECASTS TO DELETE THE
MENTION OF THUNDER, AND LOWER THE QUANTITATIVE PRECIPITATION
FORECAST IN THE NEXT FEW HOURS AS ONLY LIGHTER RAIN OR SHOWERS ARE
EXPECTED, HIGHEST PROBABILITIES NORTH AND CENTRAL. WE WILL ALSO ADD
IN SOME PATCHY FOG OVER THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS OF THE NORTHWEST FOR A
FEW HOURS THIS MORNING, IN ANTICIPATION OF AN UPDATE ABOUT MIDDAY.
ALSO, WE CHANGED THE MAX TEMPERATURES TO THE CURRENT TEMPERATURES,
THEN AS COLDER AIR BEGINS TO COME IN FROM THE WEST, WE INTERPOLATED
DOWN TO THE LATER AFTERNOON TEMPERATURES.
&&
.OVERVIEW...
MUCH TO TALK ABT...NOT MUCH TIME TO DO IT IN. WE WILL BE ISSUING A
WIND ADVY WITH THIS FCST PKG AS GRADIENT TIGHTENS TNGT. WE WILL HOLD
OFF ON ISSUING A WINT WX ADVY ATTM AS MDL QPFS (THE ONES THAT HAD
IT) HAVE BACKED OFF FROM THE 12Z RUN. WOULD BLV SNOWFALL ACCUM WOULD
NOT BE MET BUT REASON FOR ADVY WOULD BE DROPPING TEMPS AND POOR VSBY
IN SNOW OVRNGT. WILL GIVE DAYSHIFT A CHC TO REACCESS THIS INSTEAD OF
BOXING THEM IN ATTM. WE WILL CONT STRONGLY WORDED SPS.
WE ARE LEANING TWD THE GFS SOLN AS IT IS VERIFYING WELL AT 06Z WITH
THE DEEPER SFC PRES OVR PA AND OMEGA FIELD LINES UP WELL WITH
CONVECTIVE LINE IN VA. IN ADTN...IT DID INIT BETTER THAN THE NAM IN
THE OH VLY AT H5 (AS DID THE CAN RGEM). THE GFS DOES HAVE WRAPARND
PCPN SUPPORT (ESP IN NJ) FROM THE OTHER MDLS AND HAS BEEN CONSIST
WITH THIS FEAT (ALBEIT SHAKY WITH THE QPF DETAILS).
&&
.SHORT TERM (TODAY THROUGH SUNDAY)...
WE BLV SVR WX THREAT MIGHT BE MINIMIZED BY SERLY FLOW (SORT OF LIKE
SPRING), BUT BOTH AKQ AND LWX HAVE BEEN ISSUING WRNGS AND WE WILL
FLW THOSE CELLS AS THEY ENTER OUR CWA LATER THIS ERLY MRNG. LLJ IN
CNTRL VA AND SOME SFC BASED CAPE HAS BEEN WELL PEGGED BY THE GFS
WHERE THE WRNGS ARE FLYING. STILL PLENTY OF INSTAB ALF TO CONT THE
MNTN OF TSRAS WHETHER TORNADIC OR NOT AND ALSO HVY RAIN ERLY. WHEN
CDFNT PUSHES THRU BY ERLY AFTN CWA SHLD BE IN A DRY SLOT SO WE WILL
DE-EMPHASIZE PCPN PTNL FOR THE AFTN HRS. HI TEMPS WILL BE REACHED
THIS MRNG AND TEMPS SHLD FALL THRU THE DAY.
FOR TNGT WE HAD TWO ISSUES TO GRAPPLE WITH: THE SNOW AND THE WIND.
WILL HANDLE THE HIER CONFID FCST FIRST. NO DOUBT VERY INTENSE LO
PRES AS THE LWR PRES GFS IS ALRDY VERIFYING. MOMENTUM TRANSFER WINDS
EXCEEDING 50KTS...IF THIS WAS THE DAYTIME (AND TOTALLY ADIABATIC
LAPSE RATE) WOULD TRANSLATE INTO A HIGH WIND WRNG. ISALLOBARIC
SURGES HAVE BEEN BETTER...BUT NEVERTHELESS WILL AVERAGE ABT 4MB/3HRS
OVRNGT. SINCE THIS IS OCRG AT NGT AND OUR FCSTD LAPSE RATE IS NOT
ADIABATIC...WE WILL OPT TO KEEP WINDS IN THE ADVY CAT. THIS MAY VERY
WELL LINGER DEEPER INTO SUN MRNG...ESP IF THE GFS PROVES
CLOSER...BUT WILL LET DAYSHIFT REACCESS.
NOW THE SNOW END. WE/VE JUST COME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT THE GFS AND
NAM ARE NEVER GOING TO AGREE THIS WINTER AND WE ARE GOING TO HAVE
COME DOWN ON ONE MDL SIDE OR THE OTHER. WE HAVE DECIDED WITH THIS
EVENT TO CONT SIDING WITH THE GFS SINCE IT DOES HAVE MDL SUPPORT
FROM BOTH CANADIANS AND THE UKMET AS WELL AS INIT BETTER WITH THE
CLOSED LOW AND DEEPER 6HR SFC POSN. THAT SAID WE KNOW THE GFS TENDS
TO OVERDO WRAPARND PCPN AS ALL OTHER MDLS ARE DRIER THAN IT IS. ALSO
EVEN THE GFS TREND IS DRIER. WE HAVE THEREFORE OPTED TO GO CLOSER TO
THE CAN RGEM WHICH ON THE 12Z RUN ALSO OFFERED A COMP OF SORTS. THE
GFS DOES BRIEFLY HAVE OMEGA FIELDS AND DENDRITIC GROWTH TEMPS
COINCIDING OVRNGT...BUT HAS LOST THE IMPLIED CONVECTIVE CONTRIBUTION
WHICH BROUGHT THOSE LOFTY SNOW ACCUMS FROM THE DAY RUN. THE GFS
CONTS TO MAINTAIN SOME WAA FROM 750-700MB AND DVLPS A TROWAL OVR NJ.
THIS WILL BE A LITMUS TEST FOR THIS FEAT AS THE MDL HAS NOT WAVERED
WITH ITS EXISTENCE FOR RUNS ON END. WE WILL KEEP A GENERAL 1-3 N OF
THE I276/I195 CORRIDOR WITH LESS FTHR S. EVEN THO THIS IS BLO ADVY
CRIT...WE ARE CONCERNED BECAUSE OF THE WINDS AND DROPPING TEMPS.
MOST OF THE SNOW/SUBFREEZING TEMPS SHLD START AFT 9 PM AND FTHR E
PBLY AFT MIDN ON A SATURDAY NIGHT. IF THIS WAS TO OCR AT A MORE
TRAVELED TIME...WE WOULD HAVE ISSUED THE ADVY EVEN THO THE ACCUMS
WON/T BE MET. BUT WE WANT TO GIVE THE DAY SHIFT A CHC TO CONT TO SEE
MDL TRENDS ESP IN LOCNS (SRN ZNS) WHERE ACCUMS ARE LWR. WE BLV THE
MDL SFC TEMP PROGS ARE BETTER TO FLW THAN THEIR MOS GUID WHICH ON
MARCH 8TH 2005 (A SIM SITU) LAGGED THE COLD AIR AND WE WILL USE
THEM. WE BLV THAT THE COLDER NAM MOS MINS LOOK BETTER.
SHRT WVS STILL ROUNDING AROUND THE CLOSED LOW ON SUN...SO WE KEPT A
CHC OF MRNG FLURRIES. GENERAL MDL TREND HAS BEEN FASTER SO BLV THE
ACCUMULATING SNOWS WILL BE OVER BY SUNRISE. BLV GFS MOS MAX TEMPS
ARE CLOSER TO EXPECTATIONS FOR SUNDAY THAN THE WRMR NAM MOS EVEN IF
ITS H8 TEMPS ARE TOO COLD.
&&
.LONG TERM (SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY)...
NO CHGS FROM DAY SHIFT. DISC REPEATED BLO: THE BUSIEST PART OF THE
EXTENDED FORECAST LOOKS TO BE LATE TUESDAY NIGHT/WEDNESDAY MORNING
THROUGH THE EARLY PART OF THURSDAY. ANOTHER FRONTAL SYSTEM SHOULD
IMPACT OUR ARE DURING THIS TIME PERIOD, WITH A WARM FRONT PASSING
THROUGH LATE TUESDAY INTO WEDNESDAY WITH THE COLD FRONT PASSING
THROUGH LATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO THURSDAY MORNING. AFTER THE COOL
TEMPERATURES THAT WE WILL EXPERIENCE THIS WEEKEND, WE SHOULD WARM
BACK TO ABOVE NORMAL CONDITIONS BY THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK BEFORE
THE FRONT PASSES THROUGH. THE LATTER PART OF NEXT WEEK INTO NEXT
WEEKEND SHOULD PROVIDE US WITH GENERALLY FAIR WEATHER.
&&
.AVIATION...
CHAOS ACROSS THE TERMINALS EARLY THIS MORNING. VFR ALL THE WAY TO
IFR CONDITIONS ARE BEING REPORTED AS THE FOG AND LOW CLOUDS
DISSIPATE AND CLUSTERS OF THUNDERSTORMS ADVECT INTO THE REGION.
WIND SHEAR REMAINS A THREAT THROUGH THE MORNING HOURS. WE CONTINUE
TO FORESEE MVFR CONDITIONS THIS AFTERNOON AFTER THINGS SETTLE
DOWN. THE LEFTOVER LIQUID PRECIP SHOULD MIX WITH SOME FROZEN TYPE
PRECIP TONIGHT AS COLDER AIR MOVES IN.
&&
.MARINE...
SCAS ARE CURRENTLY UP FOR ALL WATERS. A GALE WARNING HAS BEEN
ISSUED FOR THE UPPER BAY. NOW ALL OF THE FORECAST WATERS HAVE THE
MENTION OF GALES THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT. THE TORNADO WATCH REMAINS
IN EFFECT UNITL 900 AM ACROSS THE DE BAY WATERS.
&&
.HYDROLOGY...
WE CONTINUED TO REFRAIN FROM ISSUING A FLOOD WATCH WITH THIS EVENT
AS PRECIPITATION AMOUNTS ARE NOT FORECAST TO REACH LEVELS NEEDED FOR
WIDESPREAD STREAM FLOODING. HOWEVER, WE WILL CONT THE MNTN IN THE
SPS TO INCREASE AWARENESS ABOUT ROAD AND POOR-DRAINAGE FLOODING, AS
WELL AS THE CONVECTIVE NATURE OF THE ONGOING EVENT. WE CONT THE
FORECAST GENERAL RAIN AMOUNTS OF TWO THIRDS TO ABOUT 1 INCH, WITH
NORTHERN SECTIONS SHADED TOWARD THE HIGHER AMOUNTS (CLOSER TO THE
SURFACE LOW TRACK). GENERALLY SPEAKING, 1 INCH COULD CAUSE LOCALIZED
PROBLEMS IN ONE OR TWO SPOTS, AND 2 INCHES WOULD CAUSE SMALLER
STREAMS IN SOUTHEASTERN PENNSYLVANIA TO APPROACH THEIR RESPECTIVE
CAUTION STAGES, WITH MINOR FLOOD PROBLEMS IN CENTRAL AND NORTHERN
NEW JERSEY.
&&
OVERVIEW/SHORT TERM/HYDROLOGY...GIGI
LONG TERM...ROBERTSON
AVIATION/MARINE...KRUZDLO
UPDATES.../HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOUNT HOLLY NJ 1258 PM EST SAT JAN 14 2006 ANZ430-431-450>455-DEZ001>004-MDZ008-012-015-019-020-NJZ001- 007>010-012>027-PAZ054-055-060>062-067>071-151200- DELAWARE BAY WATERS NORTH OF EAST POINT NJ TO SLAUGHTER BEACH DE- DELAWARE BAY WATERS SOUTH OF EAST POINT NJ TO SLAUGHTER BEACH DE- COASTAL WATERS FROM SANDY HOOK TO MANASQUAN INLET NJ OUT 20 NM- COASTAL WATERS FROM MANASQUAN INLET TO LITTLE EGG INLET NJ OUT 20 NM- COASTAL WATERS FROM LITTLE EGG INLET TO GREAT EGG INLET NJ OUT 20 NM- COASTAL WATERS FROM GREAT EGG INLET TO CAPE MAY NJ OUT 20 NM- COASTAL WATERS FROM CAPE MAY NJ TO CAPE HENLOPEN DE OUT 20 NM- COASTAL WATERS FROM CAPE HENLOPEN TO FENWICK ISLAND DE OUT 20 NM- NEW CASTLE-KENT DE-INLAND SUSSEX-DELAWARE BEACHES-CECIL-KENT MD- QUEEN ANNES-TALBOT-CAROLINE-SUSSEX-WARREN-MORRIS-HUNTERDON- SOMERSET-MIDDLESEX-WESTERN MONMOUTH-EASTERN MONMOUTH-MERCER-SALEM- GLOUCESTER-CAMDEN-NORTHWESTERN BURLINGTON-OCEAN-CUMBERLAND- ATLANTIC-CAPE MAY-ATLANTIC COASTAL CAPE MAY-COASTAL ATLANTIC- COASTAL OCEAN-SOUTHEASTERN BURLINGTON-CARBON-MONROE-BERKS-LEHIGH- NORTHAMPTON-CHESTER-MONTGOMERY-BUCKS-DELAWARE-PHILADELPHIA- 1258 PM EST SAT JAN 14 2006 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA, DELAWARE, THE NORTHERN MARYLAND EASTERN SHORE AND NEW JERSEY, EXCLUDING THE FIVE NORTHEAST COUNTIES. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A WIND ADVISORY IS NOW IN EFFECT FROM 7 PM THIS EVENING TO 6 PM SUNDAY. AN ACCUMULATING SNOW IS LIKELY ESPECIALLY IN NORTHEASTERN PENNSYLVANIA AND NORTHWESTERN NEW JERSEY TONIGHT. SLIPPERY ROADS ARE LIKELY WITH RAPIDLY FALLING TEMPERATURES OVERNIGHT WHERE IT DOES SNOW. A GALE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE COASTAL WATERS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED.
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOUNT HOLLY NJ
1205 PM EST SAT JAN 14 2006
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0525 AM TSTM WND DMG 5 N SCHNECKSVILLE 40.75N 75.62W
01/14/2006 LEHIGH PA EMERGENCY MNGR
1 HOUSE HAD PART OF ITS ROOF BLOWN OFF, AND WALLS WERE
SHIFTED. TREES DOWNED. A TOTAL OF 12 HOMES WERE REPORTED
TO HAVE HAD DAMAGE, IN THE NEFFS AREA, WASHINGTON
TOWNSHIP.
0535 AM TSTM WND DMG NAZARETH 40.74N 75.31W
01/14/2006 NORTHAMPTON PA EMERGENCY MNGR
WIRES DOWN IN NAZARETH BOROUGH.
0558 AM TSTM WND DMG BELVIDERE 40.83N 75.07W
01/14/2006 WARREN NJ EMERGENCY MNGR
A COUPLE OF TREES AND WIRES DOWNED.
&&
GORSEThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
5 high wind, 5 strong wind. Local standard time, as filed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Pennsylvania in 2006Every state in 2006This day in weather historyWarnings in Pennsylvania, January 2006
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: 5486724, 5486725, 5486726, 5486727, 5486728, 5486729, 5486730, 5486731, 5486732, 5486733.