Pennsylvania, 2012

Winter Weather in Pennsylvania, January 16 to 17, 2012

January 16 to 17, 2012 · NWS PHI · 8 events in 8 counties and zones

The southwest return flow around a high pressure system coupled with an approaching warm front produced an intermittent, light wintry mix of precipitation across the Philadelphia northwest suburbs, Berks County, the Lehigh Valley and the Poconos. Snowfall accumulations (mainly in the Poconos) were less than half an inch and ice accretions were less than one tenth of an inch, traces in many areas.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 5 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
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
8

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 PHI wrote it up.

The southwest return flow around a high pressure system coupled with an approaching warm front produced an intermittent, light wintry mix of precipitation across the Philadelphia northwest suburbs, Berks County, the Lehigh Valley and the Poconos. Snowfall accumulations (mainly in the Poconos) were less than half an inch and ice accretions were less than one tenth of an inch, traces in many areas. Untreated surfaces were hazardous to drive or walk on. Precipitation overspread the region during the early to middle of the evening and fell as mainly sleet and freezing rain, but started briefly as snow in the Poconos. As warmer air moved in aloft and a bit at the surface, the intermittent precipitation changed to plain rain in Berks County and the Philadelphia northwest suburbs and fell as either sleet or freezing rain in the Lehigh Valley and Poconos. Temperatures either rose above freezing or precipitation ended by 7 a.m. EST on the morning of the 17th in these latter locations.

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 Philadelphia/Mount Holly wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 16, 6:38 PM EST, 22 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 16, 6:38 PM EST, 22 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 16, 3:53 PM EST, 3 hours 7 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOUNT HOLLY NJ
353 PM EST MON JAN 16 2012

NJZ001-007>010-PAZ054-055-062-172100-
SUSSEX-WARREN-MORRIS-HUNTERDON-SOMERSET-CARBON-MONROE-NORTHAMPTON-
353 PM EST MON JAN 16 2012

...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 9 PM THIS EVENING TO 9 AM
EST TUESDAY...

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHERN NEW
JERSEY...NORTHWEST NEW JERSEY...EAST CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA AND
NORTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA.

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.

PLEASE LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR GO TO WEATHER.GOV ON THE
INTERNET FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FOLLOWING HAZARDS.

   WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY.

PLEASE LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR GO TO WEATHER.GOV ON THE
INTERNET FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FOLLOWING HAZARDS.

   WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY.

THERE IS A CHANCE FOR A MIXED WINTRY PRECIPITATION EVENT SATURDAY
INTO SATURDAY EVENING.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

PAZ060-061-069-172100-
BERKS-LEHIGH-BUCKS-
353 PM EST MON JAN 16 2012

...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 9 PM THIS EVENING TO 6 AM
EST TUESDAY...

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EAST CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA AND
SOUTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA.

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.

PLEASE LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR GO TO WEATHER.GOV ON THE
INTERNET FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FOLLOWING HAZARDS.

   WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY.

THERE IS A CHANCE FOR A MIXED WINTRY PRECIPITATION EVENT SATURDAY
INTO SATURDAY EVENING.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

PAZ067-068-172100-
CHESTER-MONTGOMERY-
353 PM EST MON JAN 16 2012

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA.

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.

A VERY PERIOD OF SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN IS POSSIBLE LATE THIS
EVENING MAINLY IN FAR NORTHERN PART OF CHESTER COUNTY AND IN UPPER
MONTGOMERY COUNTY.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY.

THERE IS THE CHANCE FOR A MIXED WINTRY PRECIPITATION EVENT SATURDAY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

DEZ001>004-MDZ008-012-015-019-020-NJZ012>027-PAZ070-071-172100-
NEW CASTLE-KENT-INLAND SUSSEX-DELAWARE BEACHES-CECIL-KENT MD-
QUEEN ANNES-TALBOT-CAROLINE-MIDDLESEX-WESTERN MONMOUTH-
EASTERN MONMOUTH-MERCER-SALEM-GLOUCESTER-CAMDEN-
NORTHWESTERN BURLINGTON-OCEAN-CUMBERLAND-ATLANTIC-CAPE MAY-
ATLANTIC COASTAL CAPE MAY-COASTAL ATLANTIC-COASTAL OCEAN-
SOUTHEASTERN BURLINGTON-DELAWARE-PHILADELPHIA-
353 PM EST MON JAN 16 2012

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL DELAWARE...NORTHERN
DELAWARE...SOUTHERN DELAWARE...NORTHEAST MARYLAND...CENTRAL NEW
JERSEY...NORTHERN NEW JERSEY...SOUTHERN NEW JERSEY AND SOUTHEAST
PENNSYLVANIA.

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY.

THE PROBABILITY OF WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

ANZ430-431-450>455-172100-
DELAWARE BAY WATERS NORTH OF EAST POINT NJ TO SLAUGHTER BEACH DE-
DELAWARE BAY WATERS SOUTH OF EAST POINT NJ TO SLAUGHTER BEACH DE-
COASTAL WATERS FROM SANDY HOOK TO MANASQUAN INLET NJ OUT 20 NM-
COASTAL WATERS FROM MANASQUAN INLET TO LITTLE EGG INLET NJ OUT 20 NM-
COASTAL WATERS FROM LITTLE EGG INLET TO GREAT EGG INLET NJ OUT 20 NM-
COASTAL WATERS FROM GREAT EGG INLET TO CAPE MAY NJ OUT 20 NM-
COASTAL WATERS FROM CAPE MAY NJ TO CAPE HENLOPEN DE OUT 20 NM-
COASTAL WATERS FROM CAPE HENLOPEN TO FENWICK ISLAND DE OUT 20 NM-
353 PM EST MON JAN 16 2012

...GALE WATCH IN EFFECT FROM LATE TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY
AFTERNOON...

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR ATLANTIC COASTAL WATERS AND
DELAWARE BAY WATERS.

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.

HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY.

PLEASE LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR GO TO WEATHER.GOV ON THE
INTERNET FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FOLLOWING HAZARDS.

   GALE WATCH.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jan 16, 2:54 PM EST, 4 hours 6 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

8 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Weather, Montgomery

When
January 16, 7:00 PM EST to January 17, 2:00 AM EST
Where
Montgomery forecast zone
Reported by
ASOS

Winter Weather, Chester

When
January 16, 7:00 PM EST to January 17, 2:00 AM EST
Where
Chester forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter

Winter Weather, Bucks

When
January 16, 8:00 PM EST to January 17, 3:00 AM EST
Where
Bucks forecast zone
Reported by
ASOS

Winter Weather, Berks

When
January 16, 8:00 PM EST to January 17, 1:00 AM EST
Where
Berks forecast zone
Reported by
ASOS
Coordinates
40.416, -75.926 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Northampton

When
January 16, 8:00 PM EST to January 17, 5:00 AM EST
Where
Northampton forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
40.754, -75.307 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Lehigh

When
January 16, 8:00 PM EST to January 17, 5:00 AM EST
Where
Lehigh forecast zone
Reported by
ASOS
Coordinates
40.613, -75.592 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Monroe

When
January 16, 8:00 PM EST to January 17, 7:00 AM EST
Where
Monroe forecast zone
Reported by
ASOS
Coordinates
41.058, -75.339 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Carbon

When
January 16, 8:00 PM EST to January 17, 7:00 AM EST
Where
Carbon forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
40.918, -75.709 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Winter Weather
Snow, sleet or freezing rain below warning levels that still caused disruption, damage or casualties.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Pennsylvania in 2012Every state in 2012This day in weather historyWarnings in Pennsylvania, January 2012

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: 360836, 360839, 360837, 360838, 360840, 360841, 360842, 360843.