Pennsylvania, 2011

Heavy Snow in Pennsylvania, January 11 to 13, 2011

January 11 to 13, 2011 · NWS PBZ · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A low pressure system moved northeast from Missouri towards the Ohio Valley in the afternoon on January 11th, bringing light to moderate snow to eastern Ohio, western Pennsylvania, northern West Virginia and Garrett county Maryland. As the low pressure system over the Ohio Valley moved eastward and weakened, another low pressure system intensified along the coast of Long Island, NY bringing…

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 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
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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
1

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 PBZ wrote it up.

A low pressure system moved northeast from Missouri towards the Ohio Valley in the afternoon on January 11th, bringing light to moderate snow to eastern Ohio, western Pennsylvania, northern West Virginia and Garrett county Maryland. As the low pressure system over the Ohio Valley moved eastward and weakened, another low pressure system intensified along the coast of Long Island, NY bringing additional upslope heavy snow to the higher elevations of northern West Virginia and Maryland and the on the ridges of Fayette County in Pennsylvania on January 12th and 13th. 15-17 inches of snowfall were recorded in Terra Alta, Preston County and Davis, Tucker County over the 48 hour period and 11.2 was recorded in a 24 hour period in Fayette County.

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 Pittsburgh, PA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 11, 3:25 PM EST, 1 hour 35 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 11, 3:25 PM EST, 1 hour 35 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 11, 3:45 PM EST, 1 hour 15 minutes before
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The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Fayette Ridges

When
January 11, 5:00 PM EST to January 13, 11:00 AM EST
Where
Fayette Ridges forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
39.920, -79.647 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Heavy Snow
Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Pennsylvania in 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyWarnings in Pennsylvania, January 2011

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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 281088.