Lake-Effect Snow in Pennsylvania, November 23 to 24, 2013

Name: Lake-Effect Snow in Pennsylvania, November 23 to 24, 2013
Start: 2013-11-23T15:00
End: 2013-11-24T16:00
Location: Pennsylvania

November 23 to 24, 2013 · NWS CLE · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 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: $150,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 2

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.

Very cold northwest winds blowing across Lake Erie caused lake effect snow showers to develop during the afternoon of November 23rd. The snow showers continued for about 24 hours and then tapered to flurries during the late afternoon hours of the 24th. The snow was heavy at times, especially during the evening of the 23rd when visibilities were less than a half mile. Snowfall rates at times exceeded an inch per hour. Snowfall totals of 6 to 9 inches were common across inland Erie County and northern and eastern Crawford County. A peak total of 9.5 inches was measured at Titusville in eastern Crawford County. Northwest winds gusted to as much as 35 mph causing a lot of blowing and drifting. Travel was difficult during this event.

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 Nov 23, 12:49 PM EST, 2 hours 11 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Nov 23, 12:49 PM EST, 2 hours 11 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Nov 23, 4:31 AM EST, 10 hours 29 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CLEVELAND OH
431 AM EST SAT NOV 23 2013

OHZ010>013-020>023-031>033-038-240930-
LORAIN-CUYAHOGA-LAKE-GEAUGA-MEDINA-SUMMIT-PORTAGE-TRUMBULL-WAYNE-
STARK-MAHONING-HOLMES-
431 AM EST SAT NOV 23 2013

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH CENTRAL OHIO AND
NORTHEAST OHIO.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT.

AN ARCTIC COLD FRONT WILL MOVE SOUTH ACROSS THE AREA TODAY. SOME
SNOW SHOWERS WILL ACCOMPANY THE FRONT. BANDS OF LAKE EFFECT SNOW
FROM LAKE SUPERIOR AND LAKE ERIE MAY DEVELOP TONIGHT AND LAST INTO
EARLY SUNDAY. AT THIS TIME IT IS DIFFICULT TO PIN POINT EXACTLY
WHERE THEY WILL DEVELOP. SEVERAL INCHES OF SNOW ARE EXPECTED. IF
THE BANDS PERSIST AN ADVISORY MAY BE NEEDED.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY.

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

OHZ014-089-PAZ001>003-240930-
ASHTABULA INLAND-ASHTABULA LAKESHORE-NORTHERN ERIE-SOUTHERN ERIE-
CRAWFORD PA-
431 AM EST SAT NOV 23 2013

...LAKE EFFECT SNOW WARNING IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO MIDNIGHT
EST SUNDAY NIGHT...

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHEAST OHIO AND NORTHWEST
PENNSYLVANIA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT.

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

   LAKE EFFECT SNOW WARNING.

AN ARCTIC COLD FRONT WILL MOVE SOUTH ACROSS THE AREA TODAY. LAKE
EFFECT SNOW WILL DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON AND CONTINUE THROUGH
SUNDAY. HEAVY SNOW IS EXPECTED IN THE SNOW BANDS. IN ADDITION
GUSTY WINDS WILL CAUSE SIGNIFICANT BLOWING AND DRIFTING WHERE
SNOWFALL IS THE GREATEST.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY.

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

   LAKE EFFECT SNOW WARNING.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

OHZ003-006>009-017>019-027>030-036-037-047-240930-
LUCAS-WOOD-OTTAWA-SANDUSKY-ERIE OH-HANCOCK-SENECA-HURON-WYANDOT-
CRAWFORD-RICHLAND-ASHLAND-MARION-MORROW-KNOX-
431 AM EST SAT NOV 23 2013

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH CENTRAL OHIO AND
NORTHWEST OHIO.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT.

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY.

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

LEZ061-142>149-162>169-240930-
LAKE ERIE OPEN WATERS FROM RIPLEY TO BUFFALO NY-
MAUMEE BAY TO RENO BEACH OH-RENO BEACH TO THE ISLANDS OH-
THE ISLANDS TO VERMILION OH-VERMILION TO AVON POINT OH-
AVON POINT TO WILLOWICK OH-WILLOWICK TO GENEVA-ON-THE LAKE OH-GENEVA-
ON-THE-LAKE TO CONNEAUT OH-CONNEAUT OH TO RIPLEY NY-
LAKE ERIE OPEN WATERS FROM MAUMEE BAY TO RENO BEACH-
LAKE ERIE OPEN WATERS FROM RENO BEACH TO THE ISLANDS-
LAKE ERIE OPEN WATERS FROM THE ISLANDS TO VERMILION-
LAKE ERIE OPEN WATERS FROM VERMILION TO AVON POINT-
LAKE ERIE OPEN WATERS FROM AVON POINT TO WILLOWICK-
LAKE ERIE OPEN WATERS FROM WILLOWICK TO GENEVA-ON-THE-LAKE-
LAKE ERIE OPEN WATERS FROM GENEVA-ON-THE-LAKE TO CONNEAUT-
LAKE ERIE OPEN WATERS FROM CONNEAUT OH TO RIPLEY NY-
431 AM EST SAT NOV 23 2013

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR LAKE ERIE.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT.

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY.

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 lake-effect snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Lake-Effect Snow, Crawford

When: November 23, 3:00 PM EST to November 24, 4:00 PM EST
Where: Crawford forecast zone
Property damage: $75,000
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 41.685, -80.106 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Very cold northwest winds blowing across Lake Erie caused lake effect snow showers to develop during the afternoon of November 23rd. The snow showers continued for about 24 hours and then tapered to flurries during the late afternoon hours of the 24th. The snow was heavy at times, especially during the evening of the 23rd when visibilities were less than a half mile. Snowfall rates at times exceeded an inch per hour. Snowfall totals of 6 to 9 inches were common across northern and eastern Crawford County. A peak total of 9.5 inches was measured at Titusville in eastern Crawford County. Northwest winds gusted to as much as 35 mph causing a lot of blowing and drifting. Travel was difficult during this event.

Lake-Effect Snow, Southern Erie

When: November 23, 3:00 PM EST to November 24, 4:00 PM EST
Where: Southern Erie forecast zone
Property damage: $75,000
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 42.118, -80.098 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Very cold northwest winds blowing across Lake Erie caused lake effect snow showers to develop during the afternoon of November 23rd. The snow showers continued for about 24 hours and then tapered to flurries during the late afternoon hours of the 24th. The snow was heavy at times, especially during the evening of the 23rd when visibilities were less than a half mile. Snowfall rates at times exceeded an inch per hour. Snowfall totals of 6 to 9 inches were common across inland Erie County. Northwest winds gusted to as much as 35 mph causing a lot of blowing and drifting. Travel was difficult during this event.

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

Every storm in Pennsylvania in 2013 Every state in 2013 This day in weather history Warnings in Pennsylvania, November 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: 484676, 484678.