Lake-Effect Snow in Pennsylvania, January 30 to 31, 2007

Name: Lake-Effect Snow in Pennsylvania, January 30 to 31, 2007
Start: 2007-01-30T03:00
End: 2007-01-31T14:00
Location: Pennsylvania

January 30 to 31, 2007 · NWS CLE · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 3 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: $475,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 3

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 CLE wrote it up.

A strong cold front moved east across northwestern Pennsylvania on January 30th. Cold westerly winds behind the front caused lake effect snow showers to develop during the morning hours of the 30th and persist into the 31st. Some of the heaviest snow fell during the late afternoon and evening hours of the 30th. Many accidents were reported.

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 Cleveland, OH wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 29, 11:59 PM EST, 3 hours 1 minute earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 29, 11:59 PM EST, 3 hours 1 minute before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 29, 5:50 AM EST, 21 hours 10 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CLEVELAND OH
550 AM EST MON JAN 29 2007

OHZ011>014-089-PAZ001>003-301100-
CUYAHOGA-LAKE-GEAUGA-ASHTABULA INLAND-ASHTABULA LAKESHORE-
NORTHERN ERIE-SOUTHERN ERIE-CRAWFORD PA-
550 AM EST MON JAN 29 2007

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST OHIO
AND NORTHWEST PENNSYLVANIA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

LAKE EFFECT SNOW WILL CONTINUE ACROSS THE NORTHEAST OHIO AND
NORTHWEST PENNSYLVANIA SNOW BELT REGION. ADDITIONAL SIGNIFICANT
SNOW ACCUMULATIONS CAN BE EXPECTED TODAY.

THE LAKE EFFECT SNOW IS EXPECTED TO TAPER OFF THIS EVENING AND
THEN AN ALBERTA CLIPPER STORM SYSTEM WILL MOVE SOUTHEAST INTO THE
AREA. LIGHT SNOW WILL AFFECT THE REGION TONIGHT AND BRING UP TO
AN INCH OF SNOW ACCUMULATION.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY

LAKE EFFECT SNOW WILL ONCE AGAIN REDEVELOP OVER THE AREA TUESDAY.
SIGNIFICANT SNOW ACCUMULATIONS ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE AREA
TUESDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY MORNING. THE LAKE EFFECT IS EXPECTED TO
GRADUALLY TAPER OFF WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON.

ANOTHER ALBERTA CLIPPER STORM SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO MOVE INTO THE
AREA THURSDAY. THIS WEATHER FEATURE WILL BRING MORE SNOW TO THE
AREA FOLLOWED BY EVEN MORE LAKE EFFECT SNOW INTO THE WEEKEND.

A STORM SYSTEM IS FORECAST TO DEVELOP OVER THE SOUTHERN UNITED
STATES AND HEAD TOWARD THE REGION. THIS STORM WILL HAVE TO BE
MONITORED FOR POTENTIAL IMPACT ON THE REGION DURING THE WEEKEND.

MUCH COLDER TEMPERATURES ARE ALSO EXPECTED BY THE END OF THE WEEK
WITH HIGHS POSSIBLY ONLY CLIMBING INTO THE TEENS AND LOWS IN THE
SINGLE DIGITS.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED. SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO
CALL IN SNOW REPORTS OF ONE HALF INCH OR GREATER TO THE NATIONAL
WEATHER SERVICE.

LEZ142>149-162>169-OHZ003-006>010-017>023-027>033-036>038-047-
301100-
MAUMEE BAY TO RENO BEACH OH-RENO BEACH TO THE ISLANDS OH-
THE ISLANDS TO VERMILION OH-VERMILION TO AVON POINT OH-
AVON POINT TO WILLOWICK OH-WILLOWICK TO GENEVA-ON-THE LAKE OH-
GENEVA-ON-THE-LAKE TO CONNEAUT OH-CONNEAUT OH TO RIPLEY NY-
MAUMEE BAY OH TO RENO BEACH OH BEYOND 5 NM OF SHORE-
RENO BEACH TO THE ISLANDS OH BEYOND 5 NM OF SHORE-
THE ISLANDS TO VERMILION OH BEYOND 5 NM OF SHORE-
VERMILION TO AVON POINT OH BEYOND 5 NM OF SHORE-
AVON POINT TO WILLOWICK OH BEYOND 5 NM OF SHORE-
WILLOWICK TO GENEVA-ON-THE-LAKE OH BEYOND 5 NM OF SHORE-GENEVA-ON-
THE-LAKE TO CONNEAUT OH BEYOND 5 NM OF SHORE-
CONNEAUT OH TO RIPLEY NY BEYOND 5 NM OF SHORE-LUCAS-WOOD-OTTAWA-
SANDUSKY-ERIE OH-LORAIN-HANCOCK-SENECA-HURON-MEDINA-SUMMIT-
PORTAGE-TRUMBULL-WYANDOT-CRAWFORD-RICHLAND-ASHLAND-WAYNE-STARK-
MAHONING-MARION-MORROW-HOLMES-KNOX-
550 AM EST MON JAN 29 2007

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF LAKE ERIE...
NORTH CENTRAL OHIO...NORTHEAST OHIO AND NORTHWEST OHIO.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

NO SIGNIFICANT WEATHER IS EXPECTED TODAY. HOWEVER...AN ALBERTA
CLIPPER STORM SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO BRING SOME LIGHT SNOW TO THE
AREA TONIGHT. LOCALLY UP TO AN INCH OF SNOW IS POSSIBLE.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY

ANOTHER ALBERTA CLIPPER STORM SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO MOVE INTO THE
AREA THURSDAY. THIS WEATHER FEATURE WILL BRING MORE SNOW TO THE
AREA.

A STORM SYSTEM IS FORECAST TO DEVELOP OVER THE SOUTHERN UNITED
STATES AND HEAD TOWARD THE REGION. THIS STORM WILL HAVE TO BE
MONITORED FOR POTENTIAL IMPACT ON THE REGION DURING THE WEEKEND.

MUCH COLDER TEMPERATURES ARE ALSO EXPECTED BY THE END OF THE WEEK
WITH HIGHS POSSIBLY ONLY CLIMBING INTO THE TEENS AND LOWS IN THE
SINGLE DIGITS.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED.

LOMBARDY

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 lake-effect snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Lake-Effect Snow, Crawford

When: January 30, 3:00 AM EST to January 31, 12:00 PM EST
Where: Crawford forecast zone
Property damage: $75,000
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 41.685, -80.106 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lake-Effect Snow, Northern Erie

When: January 30, 3:00 AM EST to January 31, 2:00 PM EST
Where: Northern Erie forecast zone
Property damage: $250,000
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 42.118, -80.098 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lake effect snow showers developed during the morning of the 30th and persisted through the early morning hours of the 31st. Heavy snow fell during the evening hours of the 30th with snowfall rates in excess of an inch per hour at times. Storm total accumulations along and north of Interstate 90 in Erie County ranged from 8 to 12 inches most places. A maximum of 14.5 inches was measured in North East with 13.9 inches in Fairview. Officially, 9.9 inches of snow fell at Erie International Airport. Dozens of accidents were reported.

Lake-Effect Snow, Southern Erie

When: January 30, 3:00 AM EST to January 31, 2:00 PM EST
Where: Southern Erie forecast zone
Property damage: $150,000
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 42.118, -80.098 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lake effect snow showers developed during the morning of the 30th and persisted through the early morning hours of the 31st. Heavy snow fell during the evening hours of the 30th with snowfall rates in excess of an inch per hour at times. Storm total accumulations of 8 to 12 inches were reported across inland sections of Erie County. A maximum of 16.8 inches was reported in McKean with 14.8 inches at Franklin Center. Many accidents were reported.

What these are

Lake-Effect Snow: Heavy snow in bands downwind of a large lake as cold air crosses warmer water.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Pennsylvania in 2007 Every state in 2007 This day in weather history Warnings in Pennsylvania, January 2007

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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 12990, 12991, 12992.