Strong northwest winds and cold temperatures combined to produce bitterly cold wind chills across central Pennsylvania.
Every event with a place to put it; 13 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.
Strong northwest winds and cold temperatures combined to produce bitterly cold wind chills across central Pennsylvania.
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 Mar 5, 9:10 PM EST, 2 hours 50 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA 910 PM EST MON MAR 5 2007 .SHORT TERM /REST OF TONIGHT/... STIFF NW FLOW ADVECTING ARCTIC AIRMASS SOUTHWRD ACROSS PA THIS EVENING. SFC DWPTS OVR SOUTHERN ONTARIO RUNNING ARND -20F THIS EXTREMELY DRY AIRMASS...COMBINED WITH A PARTIALLY FROZEN LK ERIE...RESULTING IN LESS THAN IMPRESSIVE LAKE EFFECT SNOW SHWRS OVR WESTERN PA. IR IMAGERY SUGGESTING LK HURON BAND TRYING TO DEVELOP JUST SOUTH OF ERIE...BUT ANY ADDITIONAL ACCUMS OVR NW MTNS/LAURELS SHOULD REMAIN LGT...AS INVERSION LOWERS IN ADVANCE OF APPROACHING SFC RIDGE. SUSTAINED WINDS REACHED ADV CRITERIA ACROSS OUR SOUTHERN ZONES EARLIER THIS EVENING. HOWEVER...WINDS DECREASING A BIT...SO WILL ALLOW WIND ADV TO DIE AT 10 PM. WIND CHILL ADV STILL LOOKS ON TRACK...WITH CURRENT READINGS ALREADY APPROACHING -15F ACROSS THE NORTH. LATEST SREF DATA SUGGEST SNOW FROM ALBERTA CLIPPER WILL HOLD OFF UNTIL EARLY WED AM. EARLY INDICATIONS ARE FOR AN ADVISORY TYPE EVENT...ENDING TUES AFTN. ENSEMBLE MEAN QPF RANGING FROM ARND 0.5 OVR LAURELS...TO 0.15 OVR NE ZONES. SNOW/WATER RATIOS LIKELY TO BE HIGH OVR CENTRAL AND NORTH. PROBABLY CLOSER TO 10:1 OVR THE SOUTH...WHERE MODEL DATA SUGGEST RIMING IN LOWER CLD LYR. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 345 PM EST MON MAR 5 2007/ SHORT TERM /TONIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY/... ARCTIC FRONT IS JUST SOUTH OF STATE COLLEGE WSW TO JUST NORTH OF THE JST/AOO AREAS AT 18Z. AREA OF HEAVY SNOW SHOWERS AND SQUALLS ACCOMPANY THE WESTERN AND CENTRAL PORTIONS OF THE FRONT. WE SAW ABOUT A 10-15 MINUTE PERIOD HERE OF NEAR WHITE OUT CONDITIONS WITH TEMPS THAT DROPPED ABOUT 7 DEGREES WHEN THE FRONT WENT THRU. THE BRIEF WHITEOUT WILL GIVE WAY TO MORE SCATTERED SNOW SHOWERS WHICH WILL GRADUALLY DIMINISH IN COVERAGE AS DRIER AIR MOVES IN FROM THE NORTH. OVERNIGHT WILL BE VERY COLD...15-20 DEG BELOW NORMAL IN MOST LOCATIONS. WITH THE GUSTY WIND IT WILL FEEL EVEN WORSE. WILL CONTINUE THE CURRENT WIND AND WIND CHILL ADVISORIES. STRONG GUSTS ARE ALREADY OCCURRING AND IT SHUD STAY WINDY OVERNIGHT. COVERAGE AND TIMING OF THE 2 ADVISORIES LOOKS PRETTY GOOD AT THIS STAGE. TUESDAY SHUD BE BRIGHT AND SUNNY WITH A DIMINISHING WIND AS THE HIGH MOVES OVERHEAD BY LATE IN THE DAY. LONG TERM /TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY/... COMPLEX FLOW PATTERN EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THROUGH THE PERIOD WITH WESTERN UPPER RIDGE EXPECTED TO EXPAND EASTWARD WHILE FLATTENING OUT AND EASTERN UPPER TROF EXPECTED TO FILL BUT REMAIN ACTIVE WITH SHORTWAVE IMPULSES MOVING THROUGH IT. THIS WILL RESULT IN SEVERAL CHANCES FOR PRECIPITATION AND A WARMING TREND DURING THE WEEKEND. ARCTIC HIGH PRESSURE CENTERED OVER THE REGION AT THE START OF THE PERIOD WILL SET THE STAGE FOR AN ALBERTA CLIPPER TO MOVE ACROSS THE STATE DURING THE DAY ON WEDNESDAY. THOUGH FAST MOVING AND CUT OFF FROM SIGNIFICANT SFC MOISTURE...MODEL GUIDANCE CONTINUES TO CURIOUSLY PRODUCE ENOUGH QP FOR SEVERAL INCHES OF SNOW. WILL FOLLOW CURRENT FCST EXPECTING ARCTIC AIR TO PROVIDE HIGH SNOW TO LIQUID WATER EQUIVALENTS. A SECOND AREA OF HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS IN FOR THURSDAY AS UPPER HEIGHTS RISE AHEAD OF EXPANDING UPPER RIDGE. A TROF WILL BRING ANOTHER FRONTAL SYSTEM ACROSS THE STATE ON SATURDAY. PCPN WITH THIS SYSTEM LOOKS TO BE MOSTLY RAIN WITH A GOOD DEAL OF WARM AIR MOVING IN AHEAD OF THE SYSTEM. HPC GUIDANCE SUGGESTS THAT THE FRONT WILL STALL OVER THE REGION...CARRYING POPS SUNDAY INTO MONDAY. AVIATION /20Z-18Z/... ANOTHER DAY OF EXTREMELY VARIABLE CONDITIONS ACROSS CENTRAL PA. SNOW SHOWERS AND SQUALLS ACCOMPANYING THE LATEST SURGE OF ARCTIC AIR ARE CAUSING VIS WELL BELOW 1 MI AT TIMES OVER CENTRAL AND WESTERN TERMINALS. THUS FAR THE SUSQ VALLEY STATIONS HAVE SEEN LITTLE MORE THAN A FEW FLURRIES. IN ADDITION...GUSTY WINDS FROM THE WNW ARE OCCURRING. 25-35MPH ARE COMMON AND CANNOT RULE OUT ISOLATED GUSTS TO THE MID 40S AS THE COLD AIR POURS IN. THE MAIN AREA OF HEAVY SQUALLS WILL PUSH THRU AOO/JST BY MID AFTERNOON LEAVING BEHIND ACTIVITY OF A MORE SCATTERED NATURE. DRIER AIR JUST NORTH OF THE PA BORDER WILL BEGIN TO MOVE IN LATER IN THE DAY AND ALLOW FOR MORE WIDESPREAD IMPROVEMENT TO CONDITIONS OVERNIGHT. AS WOULD BE EXPECTED...JOHNSTOWN AND BRADFORD WILL PROBABLY STAY DOWN BELOW 3000/5 LONGER THAN THE CENTRAL AREAS. THINK THE HIGH TERRAIN TERMINALS WILL PROB STAY PREDOM MVFR INTO THE EVENING WITH VFR CONDITIONS DEVELOPING BY MIDNIGHT OR SHORTLY AFTER. AM NOT AS CONFIDENT ON THE IMPROVEMENT TIME AT BFD AS FCST SOUNDINGS SHOW IT COULD TAKE MOST OF THE NIGHT TO SEE THE BENEFITS OF THE DRY ADVECTION. EITHER WAY...HIGH PRESSURE BUILDING IN SHUD ASSURE EVERYONE A BRIGHT CLEAR DAY FOR TUESDAY. WEDNESDAY WILL SEE CONDITIONS DETERIORATE ONCE AGAIN AS A CLIPPER SPREADS A SHIELD OF SNOW ACROSS THE AREA. PROB SEE MVFR/IFR OVER MOST OF THE AREA BY SUNRISE...CLEARING LATER IN THE DAY. && .CTP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WIND CHILL ADVISORY UNTIL 12 PM EST TUESDAY FOR PAZ004>006- 010>012-017-018-024-033-037-041-042. && SHORT TERM...FITZGERALD
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA 939 PM EST MON MAR 5 2007 PAZ004>006-010>012-017>019-024>028-033>037-041-042-045-046- 049>053-056>059-063>066-070245- WARREN-MCKEAN-POTTER-ELK-CAMERON-NORTHERN CLINTON-CLEARFIELD- NORTHERN CENTRE-SOUTHERN CENTRE-CAMBRIA-BLAIR-HUNTINGDON-MIFFLIN- JUNIATA-SOMERSET-BEDFORD-FULTON-FRANKLIN-TIOGA-NORTHERN LYCOMING- SULLIVAN-SOUTHERN CLINTON-SOUTHERN LYCOMING-UNION-SNYDER-MONTOUR- NORTHUMBERLAND-COLUMBIA-PERRY-DAUPHIN-SCHUYLKILL-LEBANON- CUMBERLAND-ADAMS-YORK-LANCASTER- 939 PM EST MON MAR 5 2007 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT TEMPERATURES FALLING TO AROUND ZERO...COMBINED WITH A GUSTY NORTHWEST WIND...WILL CREATE WIND CHILLS BETWEEN 15 AND 20 BELOW ZERO TUESDAY MORNING ACROSS THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS AND LAUREL HIGHLANDS. THE WORST OF THE COLD WILL BE BETWEEN 4 AND 9 AM. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY A FAST MOVING AREA OF LOW PRESSURE WILL MOVE SOUTHEAST FROM THE UPPER GREAT LAKES TUESDAY NIGHT...BRINGING CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA A PERIOD OF SNOW...LASTING FROM EARLY TUESDAY MORNING UNTIL THE AFTERNOON. ACCUMULATIONS WILL LIKELY RANGE FROM 2 TO 4 INCHES OVER MUCH OF THE REGION...WITH UP TO 6 INCHES OVER THE LAUREL HIGHLANDS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
13 extreme cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.
Northwest winds of 20 to 25 mph, with gusts up to 40 mph, combined with cold temperatures to produce wind chills of 15 to 20 degrees below zero.
Northwest winds of 20 to 25 mph, with gusts up to 40 mph, combined with cold temperatures to produce wind chills of 15 to 20 degrees below zero.
Northwest winds of 20 to 25 mph, with gusts up to 40 mph, combined with cold temperatures to produce wind chills of 15 to 20 degrees below zero.
Northwest winds of 20 to 25 mph, with gusts up to 40 mph, combined with cold temperatures to produce wind chills of 15 to 20 degrees below zero.
Northwest winds of 20 to 25 mph, with gusts up to 40 mph, combined with cold temperatures to produce wind chills of 15 to 20 degrees below zero.
Northwest winds of 20 to 25 mph, with gusts up to 40 mph, combined with cold temperatures to produce wind chills of 15 to 20 degrees below zero.
Northwest winds of 20 to 25 mph, with gusts up to 40 mph, combined with cold temperatures to produce wind chills of 15 to 20 degrees below zero.
Northwest winds of 20 to 25 mph, with gusts up to 40 mph, combined with cold temperatures to produce wind chills of 15 to 20 degrees below zero.
Northwest winds of 20 to 25 mph, with gusts up to 40 mph, combined with cold temperatures to produce wind chills of 15 to 20 degrees below zero.
Northwest winds of 20 to 25 mph, with gusts up to 40 mph, combined with cold temperatures to produce wind chills of 15 to 20 degrees below zero.
Northwest winds of 20 to 25 mph, with gusts up to 40 mph, combined with cold temperatures to produce wind chills of 15 to 20 degrees below zero.
Northwest winds of 20 to 25 mph, with gusts up to 40 mph, combined with cold temperatures to produce wind chills of 15 to 20 degrees below zero.
Northwest winds of 20 to 25 mph, with gusts up to 40 mph, combined with cold temperatures to produce wind chills of 15 to 20 degrees below zero.
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, March 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: 11892, 11893, 11894, 11895, 11896, 11897, 11898, 11900, 11901, 11902, 11903, 11904, 11906.