Winter Storm in Pennsylvania, February 13 to 15, 2007

An area of low pressure tracked across southeastern Canada during the 12th, which brought an arctic front across the Mid Atlantic region late on the 12th. As this occurred, a strong area of high pressure located across central Canada built down into the Northeast, allowing very cold air to spill southward ultimately leading to what is known as cold air damming. This occurs east of the mountains down through the Mid Atlantic states. Meanwhile, a Pacific storm slammed onto the California coast during the 11th and as it moved eastward, a new area of low pressure developed across southeastern Colorado and the Texas Panhandle. This storm became impressive as it moved into the Ohio Valley during the 13th. However as additional energy moved into the eastern part of the country, a new area of low pressure developed near the North Carolina coast late on the 13th. This allowed mainly light snow to overspread the region from south to north during the early morning hours of the 13th. As the secondary area of low pressure became more organized to our south, moisture began to fill in across North Carolina and Virginia and this moved northward. The arctic front that slipped through the state on the 12th was positioned across the southern Delmarva and this began a northward jog during the night of the 13th and the morning of the 14th. The intensifying area of low pressure tracked very near southern Delaware and then slid close to the New Jersey Shore during the morning of the 14th. This system continued to intensify as it moved into New England during the afternoon and evening of the 14th. The track of the storm kept winds at the surface from the northeast, which pretty much locked in the cold air at the surface while some warmer air worked in above the surface for a period of time. The upper-level system then passed overhead during the evening of the 14th, with the entire system pretty much a memory by late in the evening of the 14th. Governor Ed Rendell declared a disaster emergency across the entire state on the 15th. PPL Electric Utilities Corporation reported 1,542 customers were without power for a time during the storm in the Lancaster, Harrisburg and Allentown areas.|Snow began across between 6 AM and 7 AM EST on the 13th in Philadelphia, Delaware, Chester, Montgomery and Berks Counties. The snow then overspread Bucks, Northampton, Lehigh and Carbon Counties between 8 AM and 10 AM EST, but held off in Monroe County until the early afternoon hours. There was a lull in the precipitation during the evening hours of the 13th especially across southeastern Pennsylvania, however the precipitation became widespread overnight and during the early morning hours of the 14th. As some warmer air began to move in above the surface, the snow mixed with and changed to sleet and freezing rain between 6 PM and 7 PM EST on the 13th in Philadelphia and Delaware Counties, then between 7 PM and 11 PM across most other areas in eastern Pennsylvania. The southern Poconos saw less mixed precipitation, however there was a period of mixed precipitation between about 7:30 PM on the 13th and 11:30 AM on the 14th. For a brief time during the afternoon of the 14th, temperatures rose a couple of degrees above freezing with no precipitation falling. Temperatures then dropped below freezing again by the late afternoon of the 14th with a period of snow before the precipitation came to an end between 8:30 PM and 10 PM on the 14th. Wraparound snow showers lingered in Monroe and Carbon Counties until 2 AM EST on the 15th. |In Berks County, snow and sleet along with very cold temperatures combined with some accidents and other aspects to cause a 50-mile backup on Interstate 78. Many motorists, including more than 100 trucks, were stuck on the interstate for nearly 24 hours, without food, water and running out of fuel. At 12:26 PM on the 14th, a caller tells a 911 center he’s been stuck in traffic on westbound Interstate 78 near the Berks-Lehigh county line for more than an hour. At 1:02 PM, a truck driver tells the Berks Communications Center about a seven-mile backup on the eastbound lanes of Interstate 78 near Hamburg. At 4:40 PM, a 911 caller asked to speak to the Berks Emergency Management Agency. The Berks Deputy Coordinator took the call. At 4:59 PM, The Berks Deputy Coordinator called the State Emergency Operations Center and was told the center learned of the backup at 4:33 PM. At 5:22 PM, Berks Emergency Management calls the state police at the Hamburg barracks but cannot get through, so he decided to drive there. At 6:08 PM, the Berks Emergency Management Deputy Coordinator finds that the Hamburg barracks is without power and phones. At 6:27 PM, a senior decision-maker from PennDOT is requested to arrive at the Hamburg state police barracks to help with communications. At 9:30 PM, a PennDOT supervisor arrived in Hamburg. At 10:30 PM, all westbound Interstate 78 traffic is stopped at the Hamburg exit due to numerous disabled vehicles. At 10:40 PM, Governor Ed Rendell declared a disaster emergency. On the 15th at 3:54 AM, state troopers and emergency personnel began walking miles of Interstate 78, waking up truckers who have gone to sleep as traffic begins to move. At 5 PM on the 15th, the state orders Interstate 78 shut down in both directions from Interstate 81 in Lebanon County to Route 100 in Lehigh County. At 6 PM on the 15th, plowing begins and continued through the night. Additional snow removing equipment was brought in from the western part of the state to help with the clearing of the highway. Highway officials along with the National Guard and State Police worked to clear the stuck trucks and cars from the highway, therefore plowing and ice removal can get fully underway. On the 16th, the interstate remained closed throughout the day as crews continued to plow and remove ice. On the 17th at 4 PM, the interstate reopened. The Exeter Township snow emergency, which was declared on the 14th, was extended through 4 PM on the 15th. Several schools across the county were closed on the 14th, with some also closed on the 15th.|Across the Lehigh Valley: In Lehigh County, The city of Allentown declared a snow emergency early on the 14th, which was then lifted at 8 PM on the 14th. The weight of snow and ice, on the 14th, brought down the dome over the swimming pool at the West End Racquet and Fitness Club in South Whitehall Township. The dome itself was destroyed. Also, the Brookside Country Club in Wescosville also reported dome damage as a result of the snow and ice. In Northampton County, an 83-year-old woman was found dead on the rear porch of her home from hypothermia. Also in Bethlehem, a pedestrian was hospitalized after a private snowplow operator backed over him while clearing the Sheetz gas station parking lot at 3201 Schoenersville Road on the 14th. County Emergency Dispatch officials reported about a dozen or so minor vehicle accidents due to the slippery conditions. The snow and ice was too much on the 15th for a dome covering a soccer field at the Iron Lakes Sports Club on Shankweiler Road in North Catasauqua that it collapsed.|In the Poconos, in Carbon County, The Mansion Hill (SR 209) exiting Jim Thorpe towards Lehighton was closed for most of the 14th due to snow slides blocking the major artery or tractor-trailer trucks becoming stuck and blocking the travel lanes. The road reopened about 2:30 PM on the 14th, however it was shut down again at 3:06 PM due to an accident. This was a main trouble spot as the snow and sleet reportedly drifted on the hill across part of the highway. Drifts were reported to be higher than some vehicles. At 8:20 AM on the 14th, it was decided that drifting was occurring more frequently than road crews could clear, resulting in the heavily traveled road being closed. All schools in the county canceled classes as early as the evening of the 13th. Lansford continued their state of emergency on the 15th, which was issued on the 14th. This means that all non-essential travel should be avoided. One accident occurred when a tractor-trailer jack-knifed on the Mansion House Hill, Route 209, in Jim Thorpe at about 4 AM on the 14th. The Pennsylvania Turnpike’s Lehighton interchange was closed because of a tractor-trailer crash on the 14th, and state police closed Interstate 81 late in the afternoon of the 14th, deeming it impassable. Interstate 380 also was closed because of bad road conditions. In Monroe County,|state police closed Interstates 80 and 380 during the afternoon of the 14th because of bad road conditions. Interstate 80 was closed between Interstates 81 and 380. The combination of a heavy snowfall then a mix of sleet, snow and freezing rain made for hazardous road conditions. The mixed precipitation made it more difficult for some road crews to keep up. At 4 PM EST on the 17th the interstates reopened after ice was removed and the road surfaces was safe for travel.|In and around the Greater Philadelphia Metropolitan area, in Bucks County, slippery road conditions contributed to a tractor-trailer accident on the 14th on Route 309 in Richland Township. The highway was closed for more than an hour, which forced motorists to detour on slush-covered side streets. In Delaware County, a handful of school districts had early dismissals on the 13th between 11 AM and 1:40 PM because of the snow. A car collided with another vehicle at the corner of Turner Road and Baltimore Pike during the afternoon of the 13th, due to the slippery conditions. No reports of injuries. In Montgomery County, a two-car accident happened during the afternoon of the 14th on a snowy, slippery and untreated Morwood Road in Franconia. The driver of one vehicle was sent to the Lehigh Valley Hospital. Several schools were closed on the 14th with some closed on the 15th as well. In Philadelphia itself, the combination of snow and sleet closed many of the schools, delayed flights, trains and buses. The school district parochial schools were closed on the 14th, as were the regional and central administrative offices. During the midday hours on the 14th, giant slabs of ice slid off tops of buildings in Center City and crashed to the ground. Chunks of ice as large as three feet wide made their way to the pavement from high up. Police started to block off areas where the ice was falling, however one man was hit in the head by the falling ice and was knocked to the ground.|Some snow/sleet accumulations included 14.0 inches in Lehighton (Carbon County), 13.5 inches in Blakeslee (Monroe County), 12.0 inches in Albrightsville (Carbon County), 10.0 inches in Lehigh Township (Northampton County), 8.1 inches in Middle Smithfield (Monroe County), 8.0 inches in Sinking Spring (Berks County), 8.0 inches in Alburtis (Lehigh County), 8.0 inches in New Tripoli (Lehigh County), 7.8 inches in Morgantown (Berks County), 7.6 inches at the Lehigh Valley International Airport near Allentown (Lehigh County), 7.1 inches in Lincoln Park (Berks County), 7.0 inches in Coatesville (Chester County), 6.7 inches in Springtown (Bucks County), 5.8 inches in Glenmoore (Chester County), 5.6 inches in Glendon (Northampton County), 5.5 inches in Downingtown (Chester County), 5.5 inches in Perkasie (Bucks County), 5.0 inches in Honey Brook (Chester County), 5.0 inches in Pottstown (Montgomery County), 4.5 inches in Green Lane (Montgomery County), 4.5 inches in Clifton Heights (Delaware County), 4.3 inches at the Philadelphia International Airport (Philadelphia County), 4.0 inches in Eagleville (Montgomery County), 3.0 inches in Neshaminy Falls (Bucks County), and 3.0 inches in Roxborough (Philadelphia County).