A major winter storm produced moderate to heavy snow across much of central Pennsylvania. Snowfall totals generally ranged from 6 to 12 inches over the central mountains and Laurel Highlands to 15 to 25 inches across the lower Susquehanna valley.
Every event with a place to put it; 26 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 major winter storm produced moderate to heavy snow across much of central Pennsylvania. Snowfall totals generally ranged from 6 to 12 inches over the central mountains and Laurel Highlands to 15 to 25 inches across the lower Susquehanna valley. Near-blizzard conditions were common across most of the area as gusty winds combined with blowing and falling snow to produce very low visibility.
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 Feb 9, 6:50 AM EST, 4 hours 10 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA 650 AM EST TUE FEB 9 2010 .SYNOPSIS... A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM DEVELOPING OVER THE OHIO VALLEY TO THE CENTRAL GULF COAST WILL MOVE NORTHEASTWARD TONIGHT...THEN REDEVELOP AND RAPIDLY INTENSIFY JUST OFF THE MIDDLE ATLANTIC COAST BY WEDNESDAY MORNING. THIS SYSTEM WILL PRODUCE MODERATE TO HEAVY SNOW OVER MUCH OF CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA BEFORE TAPERING OFF WEDNESDAY NIGHT. COLD AND BRISK CONDITIONS WITH MOUNTAIN SNOW SHOWERS CAN BE EXPECTED IN THE WAKE OF THIS SYSTEM...WHICH WILL LIKELY PERSIST INTO THE UPCOMING WEEKEND. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 PM THIS EVENING/... WINTER STORM WARNINGS HAVE BEEN EXPANDED FURTHER NORTH AS A RESULT OF MINOR ADJUSTMENTS TO TRACK AND INTENSITY OF WINTER STORM TDY THRU WED. ALONG THE NY/PA BORDER WINTER WEATHER ADVISORIES HAVE BEEN ISSUED AFT NOON THRU WED. IR IMAGERY SHOWING CONSIDERABLE CLOUDS ADVECTING INTO CENTRAL PA FROM THE SW. PRECIPITATION SHIELD HAS PUSHED INTO CENTRAL OH STRETCHING SOUTH THRU WV. WRF-ARW PROGS ARRIVAL OF PRECIP INTO SOMERSET SHORTLY AFT DAYBREAK WHICH IS IN DECENT AGREEMENT WITH OTHER SOLUTIONS. THUS ONLY MINOR ADJUSTMENTS TO GOING FORECAST THIS MORNING. 500MB VORT MAX WILL PUSH INTO THE OH RVR VALLEY TDY AS 850MB LOW LIFTS NE INTO CENTRAL OH AND STRENGTHENS. SN WILL STEADILY OVERSPREAD PA FROM W TO E. WRF-ARW INDICATES GOOD OMEGA...LIFT...IN THE SATURATED DENDRITIC GROWTH ZONE AFT 18Z ACROSS THE WESTERN PORTIONS OF THE CWFA. AT ONSET SN RATIOS COULD BE ARND 14:1 OR 16:1 THEN DECREASE AS ADDTL MOISTURE ADVECTS INTO THE BNDRY LYR WITH RATIOS ARND 12:1 OR 14:1 FOR THE EVENT OR A FUNCTION OF RIMING. DEEP LAYERED MOISTURE HOLDS ACROSS THE REGION THRU 09Z WED...THEN RELATIVELY DRIER AIR STARTS TO ENTRAIN ABOVE THE DGZ ACROSS THE WESTERN THIRD OF THE CWFA SUGGESTING SNOW RATES MAY BACK OFF. && .SHORT TERM /6 PM THIS EVENING THROUGH 6 AM WEDNESDAY/... WINDS WILL BECOME SE TO E AS 850MB U-WIND ANOMS OF 20KTS ARE PROGGED ARND -1 TO -2 STD DEV AT ONSET. AS COASTAL LOW RAPIDLY INTENSIFIES EARLY WED THOSE ANOMS DEEPEN OFF THE NJ COAST. THIS POSES MORE OF AN IMPACT TO LOCATIONS ALONG AND SOUTHEAST OF I-81 OVERNIGHT THRU WED AS WINDS WILL BECOME BREEZY WED MORNING. GEFS/SREF PLUMES ARE CLUSTERED ARND 0.6 TO 0.8 INCHES QPF THRU 12Z WED FOR CENTRAL/SOUTHWEST PORTIONS OF THE CWFA. FOR THE LOWER SE PORTIONS OF THE CWFA THIS INCREASES TO ARND 0.8 TO 1.1 INCHES...WHICH IS SLIGHTLY HIGHER. BASED ON AFOREMENTIONED SN RATIOS THIS SHUD YIELD SNOWFALL TOTALS THRU 12Z WED ARND 2 TO 5 INCHES ACROSS THE NORTH...6 TO 8 INCHES CENTRAL/SOUTHWEST...AND 8 TO 10 INCHES ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST SECTIONS OF THE CWFA. && .LONG TERM /WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY/... A POTENT MID LVL LOW AND ASSOC S/W TROUGH WILL BE PROGRESSING EWD ACROSS CENTRAL WV/VA EARLY WED...WITH RAPID INTENSIFICATION AND CYCLOGENESIS FCST JUST OFF THE MIDDLE ATLANTIC COAST BENEATH 30DM HEIGHT FALL CENTER. THE PARENT LOW INITIALLY OVER THE UPPER OH VLY WILL TRANSFER MOST IF NOT ALL OF ITS ENERGY TO THIS SECONDARY COASTAL LOW/DEVELOPING NOREASTER WHICH IS GENERALLY MORE TYPICAL OF CLIMATOLOGY. INCREASING ATLC/ELY INFLOW /WHICH IS FCST TO STRENGTHEN TO +4SD ABOVE NORMAL/ COMBINED WITH STRONG DYNAMICS ASSOC WITH THE APPROACHING MID/UPPER LOW WILL SUPPORT MOD TO HVY SNOW ACROSS THE REGION WED MORNING INTO THE AFTN. AS THE 850MB CIRCULATION TIGHTENS UP OVER CHESAPEAKE BAY AND THE DELMARVA...IT WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY AN INTENSE CONVERGENCE/DIVERGENCE COUPLET SFC AND ALOFT WITHIN THE EXIT REGION OF A 170KT JET MAX ROUNDING THE BASE OF THE CLOSED MID LVL LOW CENTER TAKING ON A SLGT NEG TILT AS IT MOVES OFFSHORE. DEEP LYRD WAA AND FGEN FORCING WILL FAVOR STRONG UVM IN A 5-6 KM LAPSE RATE ENVIRONMENT...WITH THE HIER RES NAM AND WRF MDLS SUGGESTING SNOWFALL RATES UP TO 2" AN HOUR OVR PARTS OF THE MID AND LWR SUSQ VLY BTWN 12-18Z IN ONE OR MORE PIVOTING NE-SW ORIENTED MESOSCALE BANDING STRUCTURES. SREF/GEFS ENSEMBLE PLUMES ARE IN LINE WITH GRIDDED STORM TOTAL SNOWFALL AMOUNTS...WITH AN INCREASING TREND NOTED IN THE LAST FEW RUNS. IN GENERAL...A BLEND OF MDL QPFS YIELDS 24HR /18ZTUE-18ZWED/ LIQUID EQUIVALENTS OF OVER AN INCH IN THE FAR SE TO ROUGHLY 0.50" ACROSS THE NW MTNS. FINAL SNOWFALL AMOUNTS WERE COMPRISED OF AN AVERAGE OF 10-14:1 SLR/S RESULTING IN MAX AMOUNTS OVER A FOOT /12-18"/ ALONG AND SE OF INTERSTATE 81. HOWEVER...MAXIMIZED LIFT/OMEGAS VIA BUFKIT APPEAR TO BE LOCATED JUST BELOW THE FAVORED DGZ. THIS SUGGESTS SOME AGGREGATION WHICH MAY LEAD TO A WETTER SNOW AND COULD CUT DOWN SLIGHTLY ON ACCUMS. AS THE LOW CONTINUES TO DEEPEN AS IT MOVES AWAY FROM LI...XPC NORTH TO NORTHWEST GRAD WINDS TO INC TO 15-25MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS...LKLY LEADING TO BLOWING AND DRIFTING OF THE SNOW. A FAIRLY PERSISTENT...COLD NWLY CYC FLOW WILL LKLY PERSIST FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS AS THE LOW ACTUALLY RETROGRADES WWD ACRS THE MARITIMES BACK INTO QUE BY SUN. THE ESTABLISHED MEAN TROUGH IN THE EAST WILL KEEP COLD AIR/BELOW NORMAL TEMPS LOCKED IN FOR THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE...WITH PERHAPS SOME ARCTIC AIR SPILLING SEWD FM NCENT CANADA DIRECTED INTO THE NORTHEAST. THE COLD/UPSLOPE FLOW ALONG WITH EMBEDDED SW/S SHOULD MAKE FOR PERIODS OF SNOW SHOWERS ACRS THE ALLEGHENY HIGHLANDS AT LEAST THRU THE REMAINDER OF THE WORK WEEK. && .AVIATION /12Z TUESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/... CONSID HIGH LVL CLOUDS HAVE PUSHED EAST INTO CENTRAL PA...WITH STEADILY DETIORARTING CONDS INDICATED BY UPSTREAM AIRFIELDS. VFR CLOUD DECK WILL TREND TO IFR WITH -SN BY 16Z ACROSS SW PA TERMINALS. AFT 17Z FOR AIRFIELDS ACROSS CENTRAL/EAST PA TUE. VSBYS FROM SN/+SN WILL FLUCTUATE BTWN 1SM TO 1/4SM AT TIMES PRODUCING IFR TO VLIFR CONDS BTWN 03Z-09Z WED. SLT IMPROV ACROSS NW MTNS AIRFIELDS AFT 12Z WED. OUTLOOK... WED...MAINLY IFR...WITH PERIODS OF LIFR IN SN. THUR- SAT...MVFR TO VFR CENTRAL/EAST. MVFR AND SCT -SHSN WEST. && .CTP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER STORM WARNING FROM 1 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 7 PM EST WEDNESDAY FOR PAZ011-012-018-019-026>028-035-036-041-042-045- 046-049>053-056>059-063>066. WINTER STORM WARNING FROM 10 AM THIS MORNING TO 7 PM EST WEDNESDAY FOR PAZ010-017-024-025-033-034. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 4 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 7 PM EST WEDNESDAY FOR PAZ004>006-037. && SYNOPSIS...BEACHLER/STEINBUGL NEAR TERM...BEACHLER SHORT TERM...BEACHLER LONG TERM...STEINBUGL AVIATION...BEACHLER
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA 403 AM EST TUE FEB 9 2010 PAZ011-012-018-019-026>028-035-036-041-042-045-046-049>053-056>059- 063>066-100915- CAMERON-NORTHERN CLINTON-NORTHERN CENTRE-SOUTHERN CENTRE-HUNTINGDON- MIFFLIN-JUNIATA-FULTON-FRANKLIN-NORTHERN LYCOMING-SULLIVAN- SOUTHERN CLINTON-SOUTHERN LYCOMING-UNION-SNYDER-MONTOUR- NORTHUMBERLAND-COLUMBIA-PERRY-DAUPHIN-SCHUYLKILL-LEBANON-CUMBERLAND- ADAMS-YORK-LANCASTER- 403 AM EST TUE FEB 9 2010 ...WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 1 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 7 PM EST WEDNESDAY... 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...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY. 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. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SNOW ACCUMULATIONS TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STATE COLLEGE. PAZ010-017-024-025-033-034-100915- ELK-CLEARFIELD-CAMBRIA-BLAIR-SOMERSET-BEDFORD- 403 AM EST TUE FEB 9 2010 ...WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 10 AM THIS MORNING TO 7 PM EST WEDNESDAY... 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...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY. 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. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SNOW ACCUMULATIONS TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STATE COLLEGE. PAZ004>006-037-100915- WARREN-MCKEAN-POTTER-TIOGA- 403 AM EST TUE FEB 9 2010 ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 4 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 7 PM EST WEDNESDAY... 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...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY. 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. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SNOW ACCUMULATIONS TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STATE COLLEGE. MS/DB
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
26 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Storm total snow accumulation ranged from 8 to 15 inches.
Storm total snow accumulation ranged from 8 to 12 inches.
Storm total snow accumulation ranged from 10 to 20 inches.
Storm total snow accumulation exceeded 20 inches over most of the county.
Storm total snow accumulation ranged from 8 to 12 inches.
Storm total snow accumulation ranged between 15 to 20 inches.
Storm total snow accumulation exceeded 20 inches over most of the county.
Storm total snow accumulation ranged between 15 to 25 inches.
Storm total snow accumulation ranged from 8 to 12 inches.
Storm total snow accumulation ranged from 8 to 12 inches.
Storm total snow accumulation ranged from 6 to 10 inches.
Storm total snow accumulation ranged from 10 to 15 inches.
Storm total snow accumulation ranged from 6 to 10 inches.
Storm total snow accumulation ranged from 6 to 10 inches.
Storm total snow accumulation ranged from 6 to 10 inches.
Storm total snow accumulation ranged from 6 to 10 inches.
Storm total snow accumulation ranged from 6 to 10 inches.
Storm total snow accumulation ranged from 6 to 10 inches.
Storm total snow accumulation ranged from 6 to 10 inches.
Storm total snow accumulation ranged from 10 to 20 inches.
Storm total snow accumulation ranged from 10 to 20 inches.
Storm total snow accumulation ranged from 10 to 20 inches.
Storm total snow accumulation ranged from 10 to 20 inches.
Storm total snow accumulation ranged from 8 to 12 inches.
Storm total snow accumulation ranged from 8 to 12 inches.
Storm total snow accumulation ranged from 6 to 10 inches.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Pennsylvania in 2010Every state in 2010This day in weather historyWarnings in Pennsylvania, February 2010
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: 207188, 207195, 207198, 207200, 207209, 209178, 209181, 209179, 207210, 207201, 207203, 207207, 207208, 207204, 207205, 207206, 207218, 207211, 207212, 207213, 207214, 207215, 207216, 207217, 207219, 207220.