A significant winter storm affected much of Central Pennsylvania on December 13th, producing a wintry mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain. Moderate to heavy snow fell across the North Central Mountains north and east of Interstate 80 and Route 219.
Every event with a place to put it; 12 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 CTP wrote it up.
A significant winter storm affected much of Central Pennsylvania on December 13th, producing a wintry mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain. Moderate to heavy snow fell across the North Central Mountains north and east of Interstate 80 and Route 219. Further south across the Central Mountains, snow mixed with sleet and freezing rain. Freezing rain was the dominant precipitation type from the Laurel Highlands eastward into the Susquehanna Valley with over a quarter inch of ice build up on trees and wires.
The storm resulted in a wide range of of emergencies including several vehicle accidents, road closures, and downed utility lines. The downed lines lead to sporadic power outages statewide.
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 State College, PA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 13, 3:47 AM EST, 2 hours 13 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA 347 AM EST THU DEC 13 2007 .SYNOPSIS... MIXED BAG TODAY AS STRONG WAVE ROLLS UP THE PERSISTENT FRONT JUST TO OUR SOUTH. BRIEF LULL FRIDAY...BUT NEXT STORM LOOKS LIKE A NOR-EASTER AND SHOULD IMPACT THE AREA WITH HEAVY SNOW SAT-SUN. COLD HIGH PRESSURE SETTLES IN FOR THE FIRST PART OF NEXT WEEK. TEMPS MAY REBOUND A BIT BY MID WEEK. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 11 AM THIS MORNING/... RADAR DEPICTS THE PRECIP CLOSING IN ON US FROM ALOFT AND FROM THE WEST. SFC OBS INDICATE THAT...AT 08Z...LITTLE PRECIP WAS MAKING THE GROUND EAST OF OH/KY. BUT IT SHOULD MOISTEN UP RATHER QUICKLY ALOFT...AND START AS A MIX OF SLEET AND SNOW IN OUR SW AND MAYBE CENTRAL COUNTIES BEFORE SUNRISE. IT WILL SPREAD N AND E THROUGH THE MORNING...AND LOOKS COLD ENOUGH ON MDL SOUNDINGS TO GENERATE ALL SNOW IN THE NORTH. BUT...THE SN+IP WILL GO TO FZRA+IP IN THE CENTRAL AND SOUTH THIS MORNING..THEN PERHAPS JUST OVER TO ALL FZRA IN THE SOUTH. WILL CHOOSE TO HOLD ALL WARNINGS AND ADVISORIES AS IS THIS MORNING...AS NO REAL CHANGE IN THINKING HAS EMERGED. CHANGES FOR LATER SHIFTS TO CONSIDER WOULD BE AN UPGRADE TO ICE STORM WARNING IN THE SOUTH-CENTRAL IF THE FZRA TAKES OVER FROM THE SLEET EARLIER/LASTS LONGER THAN EXPECTED. ALSO...WONDER IF THE FAR EASTERN COS LIKE COLUMBIA/SCHUYLKILL MAY NEED AN UPGRADE TO A HEAVY SNOW WARNING. LASTLY...WARREN/ELK/MCKEAN COS MAY STRUGGLE TO GET UP TO WARNING SNOW AMOUNTS. AGAIN...NO CHANGES AT THIS TIME...JUST POINTING OUT THE POSSIBILITIES. && .SHORT TERM /11 AM THIS MORNING THROUGH 6 PM FRIDAY/... SLEET WILL CONTINUE TO PUSH MORE N AND E THROUGH THE DAY...AND FZRA WILL BE ON IT/S HEELS...BUT NOT EXTEND TOO FAR NORTH OF FIG- UNV-IPT THIS AFTN. JUDGING FROM THE SOUNDINGS AND PROFILES AVAILABLE...THE RUC APPEARS TOO WARM AND THE NAM TOO COLD ON THE WHOLE. WILL GO MORE WITH GFS SOUNDINGS FOR P-TYPE CONSIDERATIONS. THIS ALSO KEEPS CONTINUITY AS STRONG AS POSSIBLE. SNOW ACCUMS IN THE N WILL MOST LIKELY BE 5-6 INCHES...WITH 5-8 IN THE NE. SLEET AND SOME FZRA WILL KEEP ACCUMS LOWER IN THE ADVISORY AREA ALONG AND SOUTH OF I-80...BUT MAKE FOR A MESSIER DAY AND MORE CHALLENGES FOR THE ROAD CREWS AS WELL. THE LOWER TWO TIERS OF COUNTIES WILL HAVE THE BIGGEST THREAT FOR FZRA AND ICE ACCRETIONS OF GREATER THAN 0.25 INCHES. TEMPS MAY FALL SLOWLY OR STAY STEADY IN THE LOWER 30S IN THE FAR LOWER SUSQ VALLEY...ESPECIALLY RIGHT ALONG THE MASON-DIXON LINE...WHERE IT IS MOST PROBABLE THAT THE PRECIP COULD BE MAINLY RAIN WITH POCKETS OF FZRA AND SLEET. BUT...WILL CONTINUE THE ADVISORY AS ONLY TRACE AMOUNTS OF ICE ARE THE THRESHOLD FOR AN ADVSRY. QPF FOR THIS EVENT LOOKS TO BE ON THE ORDER OF 0.5 TO 0.75 INCHES...ALMOST AREA WIDE. IT WILL BE THE MIX OF PCPN TYPES THAT WILL MAKE THE DIFFERENCE IN HOW BIG AN IMPACT EACH AREA WILL HAVE. PCPN SHOULD TAPER OFF THIS EVENING AND BE ALMOST GONE BY MIDNIGHT. SCT SHSN ARE POSSIBLE IN THE NW ON FRI...AND SCT FLURRIES MAY SPILL INTO UNV/AOO/IPT. SO...IT SHOULD BE A FAIRLY NORMAL DEC DAY WITH MORE CLOUDS NW AND LESS SE AND MAX TEMPS VERY NEARLY CLIMATOLOGY. && .LONG TERM /FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... FRIDAY NIGHT AND EARLY SATURDAY SEEMS PRETTY NORMAL WITH A WEAK SECONDARY COLD FRONT FRIDAY NIGHT THAT COULD ENHANCE SHSN IN THE NW. A 1032MB AREA OF HIGH PRESSURE WILL THEN SLIDE EAST FROM THE UPPER GLAKS TO PAUSE OVER NEW ENGLAND...AND WILL ACT A SOURCE OF COLD AIR FOR THE NEXT STORM. THAT NEXT STORM IS FORECAST TO OCCUR OVER THE WEEKEND IS ALMOST CERTAINLY THE BIGGEST/BADDEST THING WE/VE SEEN THIS WINTER AND HAS SIGNIFICANT /SNOW/ POTENTIAL. THIS SHOULD BE A STORM OF NOTE - STARTING ON SATURDAY AND LASTING INTO EARLY SUNDAY. LOOKING AT THE ZONAL PATTERN THEREAFTER AND THE RATHER PERSISTENT CPC LONG RANGE FORECASTS OF ABOVE NORMAL TEMPS FOR JAN/FEB...IT MAY BE A RARE EVENT FOR THIS PARTICULAR WINTER SEASON. MED RANGE GUIDANCE...AND THE FIRST PEEKS AT SREF FORECASTS AT 84-87 HRS...ALL DEPICT A MAJOR STORM COMING OUT OF THE DEEP SOUTH...RIGHT UP THE EAST COAST WITH SECONDARY COASTAL DEVELOPMENT LEADING TO THE POTENTIAL - DARE I SAY CERTAINTY - TO PRODUCE SIGNIFICANT SNOWS FOR CENTRAL PA. WILL CONTINUE THE UPWARD TREND IN POPS FOR SAT NIGHT AND GO NEARLY 100 PCT. LOOKING AT THE SYNOPTIC SET UP...A MAJORITY OF THE PCPN - IF NOT ALL OF IT - SHOULD BE IN THE FORM OF SNOW. MREF PLUMES SUGGEST A MAJORITY OF SNOW BUT POSSIBLE SNOW/ICE/RAIN MIX ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST. KEPT THAT WORDING IN OVER ABOUT THE SERN QUARTER OF THE CWA. ONLY VISIBLE LIMITING FACTOR AT THIS POINT...ASIDE FROM A CHANGE IN TRACK TO SIG VARY PCPN TYPE...IS THE SPEED OF THE SYSTEM. ITS RELATIVELY FAST PROGRESS ACROSS THE REGION COULD LIMIT PCPN AMOUNTS. THE STORM SHOULD BE OVER WITH ON SUNDAY SOMETIME...MAYBE BEFORE NOON...MAYBE NOT. HAVE PAINTED HIGHER POPS IN FOR SUN MORNING VERSUS SUN AFTN. WRAP AROUND AND THEN NW FLOW WILL KEEP CHC POPS IN THE NW FOR MONDAY THEN FAIRLY DRY FOR TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY WITH BELOW NORMAL TEMPS AS EXPANSIVE ANTICYCLONE SETTLES OVER ERN NOAM. && .AVIATION /08Z THURSDAY THROUGH MONDAY/... VFR CONDS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH MOST OF THE NIGHT...WITH SFC HIGH EDGING SOUTHWARD FROM FROM QUEBEC. MID LEVEL CLOUDS ALREADY INTO C PA...VAD WINDS SUGGEST BASES AROUND 13 THOUSAND. VIS/CIGS WILL DETERIORATE BETWEEN 10 AND 12Z...AS A BROAD INFLUX OF MOISTURE ALOFT /FROM THE SW/ OVERRUNS A NEAR TO SUB- FREEZING AIRMASS ENTRENCHED AT THE SFC. THIS WILL SET THE STAGE FOR A WINTRY MIX OF SNOW...SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN OVERSPREADING THE REGION FM SW TO NE. EXPECTING MORE SNOW/SLEET ACROSS THE NORTH WITH BETTER CHCS FOR A PROLONGED PERIOD OF ICING OVR THE SOUTHERN AIRFIELDS. BY THE MID TO LATE AFTN...PCPN MAY EVEN CHANGE OVER TO PLAIN RAIN CLOSE TO THE PA/MD BORDER. THIS SYS QUICKLY SLIDES ENEWD OFF THE NJ COAST TOMORROW NIGHT WITH WINTRY PCPN TAPERING OFF AROUND 06Z FRI. SCT UPSLOPE -SHSN ARE PSBL ACROSS THE WRN/NRN MTNS ON THE BACKSIDE OF THE DEPARTING SYS. HIGH PRESSURE WILL POP IN FOR ANOTHER BRIEF VISIT AT THE END OF THE WEEK/EARLY IN THE WEEKEND BEFORE ANOTHER...MORE POTENT STORM TAKES AIM FOR THE WEEKEND. MDLS STILL SUGGESTING THE POTENTIAL FOR A MAJOR EAST COAST WINTER STORM /ECWS/ FOR LATE SAT THRU SUNDAY WITH VERY POOR FLYING CONDITIONS. IMPROVING CONDITIONS FOR MONDAY. && .CTP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 10 PM EST THIS EVENING FOR PAZ004>006-010>012-037-041-042. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 10 PM EST THIS EVENING FOR PAZ017>019-024>028-045-046-049>053-056>059-063. WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 10 PM EST THIS EVENING FOR PAZ033. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 10 PM EST THIS EVENING FOR PAZ034>036-064>066. && SYNOPSIS...DANGELO NEAR TERM...DANGELO SHORT TERM...DANGELO LONG TERM...DANGELO/GARTNER AVIATION...MARTIN/RXR
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA 510 AM EST THU DEC 13 2007 PAZ004>006-010>012-037-041-042-141015- WARREN-MCKEAN-POTTER-ELK-CAMERON-NORTHERN CLINTON-TIOGA- NORTHERN LYCOMING-SULLIVAN- 510 AM EST THU DEC 13 2007 ...WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM EST THIS EVENING... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT PLEASE LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR GO TO WEATHER.GOV/STATECOLLEGE ON THE INTERNET FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FOLLOWING HAZARDS. WINTER STORM WARNING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY HEAVY SNOW IS POSSIBLE SATURDAY INTO SUNDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. PAZ017>019-024>028-034>036-045-046-049>053-056>059-063>066-141015- CLEARFIELD-NORTHERN CENTRE-SOUTHERN CENTRE-CAMBRIA-BLAIR-HUNTINGDON- MIFFLIN-JUNIATA-BEDFORD-FULTON-FRANKLIN-SOUTHERN CLINTON- SOUTHERN LYCOMING-UNION-SNYDER-MONTOUR-NORTHUMBERLAND-COLUMBIA-PERRY- DAUPHIN-SCHUYLKILL-LEBANON-CUMBERLAND-ADAMS-YORK-LANCASTER- 510 AM EST THU DEC 13 2007 ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM EST THIS EVENING... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT PLEASE LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR GO TO WEATHER.GOV/STATECOLLEGE ON THE INTERNET FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FOLLOWING HAZARDS. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY HEAVY SNOW IS POSSIBLE OVER THE MOUNTAINS AND A MIX OF SNOW...SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN IS POSSIBLE AROUND HARRISBURG AND LANCASTER FROM SATURDAY INTO SUNDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. PAZ033-141015- SOMERSET- 510 AM EST THU DEC 13 2007 ...WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM EST THIS EVENING... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT PLEASE LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR GO TO WEATHER.GOV/STATECOLLEGE ON THE INTERNET FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FOLLOWING HAZARDS. WINTER STORM WARNING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY HEAVY SNOW IS POSSIBLE SATURDAY INTO SUNDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. DANGELO
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
12 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
A mixture of sleet and freezing rain fell across the Lower Susquehanna Valley. Spotters in Adams County reported approximately a quarter inch of ice build-up on trees, which were bent over nearly halfway toward the ground.
A mixture of sleet and freezing rain lead to significant ice accretion across Lancaster County. A small plane slide off the runway at the Lancaster Airport in Manheim Township. One injury was reported. The aircraft incident was relayed via the Pennslvyana Emergency Management Agency (PEMA).
A significant ice build-up was reported by the COOP observer at Laurel Summit, with nearly one-inch of ice accretion on trees and wires. The heavy coating of ice brought limbs down and uprooted a few small trees. Trained spotters in Somerset County also indicated moderate to heavy ice. There was some sleet at the onset, but the ice build-up was primarily due to a prolonged period of freezing rain.
A mixture of sleet and freezing rain resulted in significant ice accretions across York County. The ice produced very slick roads, which lead to several vehicle accidents. There were no injuries.
A mixture of sleet and freezing rain fell across Cambria County, with significant ice accretions of over one-quarter inch on trees and wires. A vehicle accident closed State Route 36 in Allegheny Township. One injury was reported.
A mixture of sleet and freezing rain lead to significant ice accretion across Cumberland County. The ice build-up lead to very slick roads which contributed to several vehicle accidents. One injury was reported.
COOP observations from Emporium and Sinnemahoning indicated four to eight inches of snow and sleet fell across Cameron County.
COOP observations from Kane, Bradford and Smethport indicated that four to eight inches of snow and sleet fell across McKean County.
Snow and sleet accumulations ranged from four to eight inches across Northern Clinton County.
Snow and sleet accumulations ranged from four to eight inches across Northern Lycoming County.
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PENNDOT) reported a widespread eight to ten inch snow and sleet accumulation across much of Potter County. COOP reports from Coudersport and Roulette were both in excess of six inches.
The COOP observer in Wellsboro reported over seven inches of snow and sleet accumulation.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Pennsylvania in 2007Every state in 2007This day in weather historyWarnings in Pennsylvania, December 2007
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: 65864, 66090, 66258, 66261, 66085, 66087, 66089, 66091, 66254, 66255, 66256, 66259.