A sharp cold front plowed across central Pennsylvania during the early morning hours on the 30th. Very strong winds ahead/behind the front were observed with peak gusts around 50 mph.
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.
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 sharp cold front plowed across central Pennsylvania during the early morning hours on the 30th. Very strong winds ahead/behind the front were observed with peak gusts around 50 mph. The strong winds caused isolated power outages and minor property damage. Strong wind gusts continued into the afternoon before subsiding by the evening.
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 Jan 31, 5:06 AM EST, 54 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA 506 AM EST THU JAN 31 2013 .SYNOPSIS... A SHARP COLD FRONT WILL PLOW THROUGH THE AREA EARLY THIS MORNING...ACCOMPANIED BY STRONG GUSTY WINDS AND SOAKING RAINFALL. A COLD AND BRISK NORTHWEST FLOW BEHIND THE COLD FRONT...REINFORCED BY A SERIES OF CLIPPER SYSTEMS...WILL BRING LIGHT TO MODERATE SNOW ACCUMULATIONS TO THE ALLEGHENIES AND PORTIONS OF THE CENTRAL RIDGE AND VALLEY REGION INTO THE WEEKEND. TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN BELOW NORMAL FOR NEXT SEVERAL DAYS. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... 06Z OBS SHOW THE STRONG COLD FRONT PLOWING EWD ACRS THE WRN MTNS WITH SHARP WSHFT/TEMP DROP OCCURRING ALONG AND WEST OF THE ALLEGHENY FRONT. PEAK WINDS WITH THE FROPA HAVE BEEN AROUND 40KTS. SOAKING MOD TO OCNL HVY RAFL CONTINUES OVR THE ERN 1/3 OF THE CWA...BUT SHOULD LIGHTEN-UP OVER THE NEXT FEW HOURS AS THE COLD FRONT CONTINUES TO MAKE EWD PROGRESS INTO THE CNTRL MTNS BY 09Z. AUTOMATED GAGES SHOW STORM TOTALS CROSSING THE 2" MARK OVER LANCASTER COUNTY...WITH 1-1.5" AMTS FAIRLY WDSPRD ACRS THE CWA. COLD AIR WILL SURGE INTO THE AREA BEHIND A STRONG/GUSTY WNW POST FRONTAL FLOW. RAIN SHOWERS WILL TRANSITION TO SNOW SHOWERS OVER THE WESTERN MTNS BY DAYBREAK. NO CHANGES WERE MADE TO EXISTING HEADLINES. WE ARE CONTINUING TO MONITOR RIVER AND STREAM GAGES FOR POTENTIAL FLOODING AND SHOULD ISSUE HAVE NEW GUIDANCE LATER THIS MORNING FROM THE MARFC. SEVERAL SMALL STREAMS AND CREEKS ARE SHOWING SHARP RISES...AND WOULD FLOOD BEFORE MAINSTEM POINTS. AFTER A BRIEF PERIOD OF SPRING-LIKE WX...THE OVERALL THE FOCUS WILL BE SHIFTING BACK TO WINTER MODE AS THE PATTERN LOOKS FAVORABLE FOR LGT-MOD SNOW ACCUMS OVER THE W-CENTRL MTNS INTO THE WEEKEND. && .SHORT TERM /FRIDAY THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT/... WINTER RETURNS WITH INCREASINGLY COLDER AIR STREAMING OVER THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN GLAKS...WITH INCREASING LAKE EFFECT OROGRAPHICALLY ENHANCED SNOW SHOWERS ACROSS THE WESTERN AND NORTHWEST MOUNTAINS. 850MB TEMPS WILL GO FROM PLUS 10-15C TO MINUS 10-15C IN ABOUT 12-18 HOURS. WITH STRONG AND COLD NW FLOW TRAJECTORIES DEVELOPING OVER THE GRT LKS...EXPECT LAKE ENHANCED SNOWS OVER THE WESTERN HIGH TERRAIN. LIGHT TO MODERATE ACCUMS EXPECTED OVER WARREN COUNTY...WHERE A LES WATCH HAS BEEN POSTED FOR THURSDAY NIGHT AND FRIDAY. TEMPS WILL RANGE FROM THE MID 20S IN THE ALLEGHENIES TO THE UPPER 30S/LOW 40S IN THE SE ZONES. THESE MAY BE EARLY HIGHS WITH A STEADY DOSE OF CAA EXPECTED THRU THE DAY WHICH MAY RESULT IN STEADY TO SLOWLY FALLING TEMPS. && .LONG TERM /SUNDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... MODELS CONTINUE TO SHOW A REINFORCING S/W TROUGH PIVOTING SEWD FROM THE UPPER MS VLY AND ROTATING THRU THE OH VLY INTO THE MID- ATLC AND NE STATES LATE THU NIGHT AND FRIDAY...PROVIDING MORE BACKING FLOW AND A DELIVERY OF MODIFIED ARCTIC AIR TO THE COMMONWEALTH. THIS WILL BRING LIKELIHOOD OF LAKE ENHANCED SNOWS TO WARREN AND POSS MCKEAN COUNTIES...AND A WATCH HAS BEEN POSTED FOR WARREN CO. ELSEWHERE...THERE MAY BE A FEW BURSTS OF HEAVIER SNOW OR A SQUALL OR TWO WITH THIS AND SHOULD BE WATCHED...BUT THE TIME OF DAY DOES NOT SUGGEST A HIGH IMPACT EVENT AT THIS TIME. AN ASSOC CLIPPER TYPE SYSTEM IS FCST TO STREAK EWD ON FRI....WHICH MAY BRING LGT WAA OR JET-ENHANCED DEFORMATION SNOW. ANOTHER PERIOD OF GUSTY WINDS IS LKLY FRIDAY AS THIS CLIPPER CONTINUES TO TRACK EWD OFF THE NJ/DELMARVA. ARRIVAL OF HIGH PRES RIDGE SHOULD BRING AN END TO LES ACTIVITY BY SATURDAY. A WEAK UPPER LEVEL FEATURE WILL BRING CLOUDS AND LIKELY -SN TO THE AREA SATURDAY NIGHT INTO EARLY SUNDAY BEFORE HIGH PRES RETURNS AGAIN LATE IN THE DAY...THOUGH SNOW SHOWERS LINGER IN HIGHER TERRAIN THANKS TO UPSLOPE FLOW. TEMPS MODERATE A BIT THIS WEEKEND...BUT HIGHS STILL TOP OUT A BIT BELOW NORMAL. FLOW PATTERN TRIES TO BECOME MORE ZONAL EARLY NEXT WEEK...THOUGH CONTINUED PARADE OF CLIPPERS ROTATE THROUGH THE WEAK CYC FLOW...WITH NEXT ONE UP ON TUESDAY BRINGING ANOTHER SHOT OF LIGHT SNOW. && .AVIATION /10Z THURSDAY THROUGH MONDAY/... A TIGHT PRESSURE GRADIENT SOUTH OF AN INTENSIFYING STORM SYSTEM OVR SOUTHERN QUEBEC WILL PRODUCE STRONG...GUSTY WINDS ACROSS CENTRAL PA TODAY. SFC OBS REPORTING WIDESPREAD GUSTS TO ARND 40KTS EARLY THIS AM...AND MDL SOUNDINGS SUPPORT SIMILAR STRENGTH GUSTS THROUGHOUT THE DAY. AN UPPER LVL TROF WILL LIFT THRU THE REGION BTWN 10Z-13Z...SUPPORTING SOME BRIEFLY LOW VSBYS IN SNOW SHOWERS...MAINLY ACROSS THE W MTNS. FOR THE REST OF THE DAY...RESIDUAL LOW LVL MOISTURE ASCENDING THE ALLEGHENY MTNS WILL LIKELY RESULT IN PERSISTENT MVFR STRATOCU AND OCNL -SHSN AT BFD AND JST. FURTHER EAST...A DOWNSLOPING WEST WIND WILL DRY OUT AS IT DESCENDS THE MTNS...RESULTING IN ONLY SCT FLURRIES AND MAINLY VFR CIGS AFTER 12Z. WEST WINDS SHOULD DIMINISH A BIT THIS EVENING...BUT REMAIN IN THE 15-25KT RANGE. OUTLOOK... FRI...AM SHSN/MVFR CIGS POSS W MTNS. GUSTY WINDS IN THE AFTN. SAT...REDUCED VSBYS IN LGT SNOW POSSIBLE...ESP JST. SUN...SHSN/MVFR CIGS POSSIBLE...MAINLY W MTNS. MON...PM LGT SNOW/REDUCED VSBYS POSSIBLE...ESP NW MTNS. && .HYDROLOGY... AUTOMATED GAGES SHOW THE HEAVIEST STORM TOTAL/24HR RAINFALL AMTS OVER THE EASTERN PORTION OF THE CWA. THE HIGHEST TOTALS ARE IN LANCASTER COUNTY...ECLIPSING THE 2" MARK. MUCH OF THE AREA HAS PICKED UP BETWEEN 1 AND 1.5 INCHES. THE HEAVY RAINS COMBINED WITH COLD SEASON HYDRO EFFECTS ARE CAUSING SHARP RISES ON SMALLER STREAMS AND TRIBS...AND WE ARE WATCHING THESE POINTS CLOSELY FOR POTENTIAL FLOODING. THE RIVER RESPONSE WILL BE SLOWER ON THE MAINSTEM POINTS. LOOK FOR NEW RIVER FCSTS AND CREST INFO LATER THIS MORNING...AFTER RECEIVING GUIDANCE FROM THE MARFC. THE FLOOD WATCH REMAIN IN EFFECT UNTIL 7AM...AND WILL BE ALLOWED TO EXPIRE AS WE START TO MAKE RIVER POINT WARNING DECISIONS. && .CTP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WIND ADVISORY UNTIL NOON EST TODAY FOR PAZ004>006-010>012- 017>019-024>028-033>037-041-042-045-046-049>053-056>059- 063>066. LAKE EFFECT SNOW ADVISORY UNTIL MIDNIGHT EST FRIDAY NIGHT FOR PAZ005. LAKE EFFECT SNOW WARNING UNTIL MIDNIGHT EST FRIDAY NIGHT FOR PAZ004. && SYNOPSIS...STEINBUGL NEAR TERM...STEINBUGL SHORT TERM...STEINBUGL LONG TERM...RXR AVIATION...FITZGERALD HYDROLOGY...
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA 436 AM EST THU JAN 31 2013 PAZ006-010>012-017>019-025>028-034>037-041-042-045-046-049>053- 056>059-063>066-010945- POTTER-ELK-CAMERON-NORTHERN CLINTON-CLEARFIELD-NORTHERN CENTRE- SOUTHERN CENTRE-BLAIR-HUNTINGDON-MIFFLIN-JUNIATA-BEDFORD-FULTON- FRANKLIN-TIOGA-NORTHERN LYCOMING-SULLIVAN-SOUTHERN CLINTON- SOUTHERN LYCOMING-UNION-SNYDER-MONTOUR-NORTHUMBERLAND-COLUMBIA-PERRY- DAUPHIN-SCHUYLKILL-LEBANON-CUMBERLAND-ADAMS-YORK-LANCASTER- 436 AM EST THU JAN 31 2013 ...WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON EST TODAY... 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. WIND ADVISORY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. A LIGHT SNOW ACCUMULATION IS POSSIBLE OVER THE WEEKEND. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. PAZ005-010945- MCKEAN- 436 AM EST THU JAN 31 2013 ...LAKE EFFECT SNOW ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT EST FRIDAY NIGHT... ...WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON EST TODAY... 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. LAKE EFFECT SNOW ADVISORY. WIND ADVISORY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. PLEASE LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR GO TO WEATHER.GOV/STATECOLLEGE ON THE INTERNET FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FOLLOWING HAZARDS. LAKE EFFECT SNOW ADVISORY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. PAZ004-010945- WARREN- 436 AM EST THU JAN 31 2013 ...LAKE EFFECT SNOW WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT EST FRIDAY NIGHT... ...WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON EST TODAY... 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. WIND ADVISORY. LAKE EFFECT SNOW WARNING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. PLEASE LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR GO TO WEATHER.GOV/STATECOLLEGE ON THE INTERNET FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FOLLOWING HAZARDS. LAKE EFFECT SNOW WARNING. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. PAZ024-033-010945- CAMBRIA-SOMERSET- 436 AM EST THU JAN 31 2013 ...WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON EST TODAY... 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. WIND ADVISORY. A LIGHT SNOW ACCUMULATION IS LIKELY THROUGH TONIGHT...WITH AMOUNTS GENERALLY IN THE 1 TO 3 INCH RANGE. HIGHER AMOUNTS BETWEEN 2 AND 4 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE OVER THE HIGHEST ELEVATIONS MAINLY IN SOMERSET COUNTY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. ADDITIONAL LIGHT TO MODERATE SNOW ACCUMULATIONS ARE POSSIBLE THROUGH THE WEEKEND. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES.
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
503 AM EST THU JAN 31 2013
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0500 AM FLOOD LANCASTER 40.04N 76.30W
01/31/2013 LANCASTER PA EMERGENCY MNGR
NMRS WATER RESCUES AND SEVERAL ROADS CLOSED ESP IN THE
NRN PART OF THE CNTY
&&
EVENT NUMBER CTP1300004
STEINBUGLSPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA 523 AM EST THU JAN 31 2013 PAZ006-010>012-017-018-024-025-033-311200- POTTER-ELK-CAMERON-NORTHERN CLINTON-CLEARFIELD-NORTHERN CENTRE- CAMBRIA-BLAIR-SOMERSET- 523 AM EST THU JAN 31 2013 ...ICY ROADS POSSIBLE EARLY THIS MORNING... FAST MOVING SNOW SHOWERS...ACCOMPANIED BY TEMPERATURES FALLING BELOW FREEZING...WILL PRODUCE ICY CONDITIONS ON UNTREATED ROADS EARLY THIS MORNING. IF TRAVELING...SLOW DOWN AND ALLOW EXTRA TIME TO REACH YOUR DESTINATION.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 strong wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Strong winds blew a roof off a structure in Catawissa. The roof came to rest on utility lines.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Pennsylvania in 2013Every state in 2013This day in weather historyWarnings in Pennsylvania, January 2013
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: 421939.