Name: Lake-Effect Snow in Pennsylvania, December 31, 2013
Start: 2013-12-31T04:00
End: 2013-12-31T23:59
Location: Pennsylvania

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
Other

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $50,000
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 CLE wrote it up.

Lake effect snow showers began before dawn on December 31st. Periods of moderate to heavy snow occurred throughout the day. The snow continued into the New Year with heavy accumulations on January 1st and 2nd as an area of low pressure passed to the south of the area. Inland areas of Erie County saw 6 or more inches of snow by midnight on the 1st. Westerly winds gusted to as much as 30 mph during the day. This caused near whiteout conditions at times along with considerable blowing and drifting.

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 Dec 30, 11:42 PM EST, 4 hours 18 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 30, 11:42 PM EST, 4 hours 18 minutes before

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In the hours before

Local storm report, Dec 30, 10:29 PM EST, 5 hours 31 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 lake-effect snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Lake-Effect Snow, Southern Erie

When: December 31, 4:00 AM EST to 11:59 PM EST
Where: Southern Erie forecast zone
Property damage: $50,000
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 42.118, -80.098 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lake effect snow showers began before dawn on December 31st. Periods of moderate to heavy snow occurred throughout the day. The snow continued into the New Year with heavy accumulations on January 1st and 2nd as an area of low pressure passed to the south of the area. Inland areas of Erie County saw 6 or more inches of snow by midnight on the 1st. Westerly winds gusted to as much as 30 mph during the day. This caused near whiteout conditions at times along with considerable blowing and drifting.

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

More

Every storm in Pennsylvania in 2013 Every state in 2013 This day in weather history Warnings in Pennsylvania, December 2013

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: 490751.