An area of light to moderate freezing rain moved quickly across Central Pennsylvania between 700 and 1000 AM EST on 19 February 2014. The quick glazing of ice on road surfaces lead to hazardous travel which severely impacted the the early morning commute.
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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.
An area of light to moderate freezing rain moved quickly across Central Pennsylvania between 700 and 1000 AM EST on 19 February 2014. The quick glazing of ice on road surfaces lead to hazardous travel which severely impacted the the early morning commute. The icy roads caused a major traffic accident on I-80W involving 40-50 vehicles, several of which were tractor-trailers. A 10-mile section of I-80W was closed in Clearfield County between the Woodland and Kylertown Exits. There were a total of 17 injuries but no fatalities.
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 Feb 19, 4:43 AM EST, 2 hours 17 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA 443 AM EST WED FEB 19 2014 .SYNOPSIS... A FAST MOVING UPPER LEVEL TROUGH WILL SLIDE ACROSS THE LOWER GREAT LAKES AND NORTHERN MID-ATLANTIC STATES TODAY...WITH SECONDARY SURFACE LOW DEVELOPMENT FROM THE SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND COAST INTO THE CANADIAN MARITIMES...SIMILAR TO YESTERDAY. A WEAK AREA OF HIGH PRESSURE WILL MIGRATE OVER THE REGION TONIGHT INTO EARLY THURSDAY BEHIND THE DEPARTING SYSTEM. A WARM FRONT WILL LIFT NORTH ACROSS THE AREA THURSDAY NIGHT...BEFORE A STRONG COLD FRONT SWEEPS THROUGH THE COMMONWEALTH ON FRIDAY. TEMPERATURES SHOULD AVERAGE NEAR OR SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL INTO WEEKEND BEFORE TRENDING COLDER INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... **UPDATE** EXPANDED ZR ADVY FOR REST OF CWA /LAURELS AND WARREN COUNTY/. OBSERVATIONS FROM PBZ AREA INDICATE THAT DESPITE TEMPS AOA 32F...RAIN IS FREEZING ON CONTACT DUE TO COLD GROUND TEMPS. INCREASING LG SCALE LIFT/500MB HGT FALLS ASSOC WITH APPROACHING GRT LKS SHORTWAVE MID/UPPER LEVEL TROUGH...AND STG WARM AIR/THETAE ADVECTION/ISENT LIFT ON NOSE OF 40+KT SWLY LLJ IS RESULTING IN FAST-MOVG AREA OF PCPN ACRS SE OH/NW WV MOVG INTO SW PA NEAR PIT AS OF 09Z. SHORT RANGE MESO MODELS BRING THIS PCPN INTO CENTRAL PA DURING THE PRE-DAWN AND EARLY MORNING HOURS /EXTRAPOLATED TOA IS APPROX 0930Z IN THE SW ZONES AND AROUND 12Z IN THE ERN COUNTIES/...OVERSPREADING A COMPLEX LOW-LEVEL THERMAL PROFILE. LATEST RUC DATA INDICATES 925-850MB TEMPS ARE ABOVE 0C ACRS THE ENTIRE CWA...BUT THIS CHANGES FOR SOME AREAS AFT FACTORING IN WET BULB EFFECTS GIVEN DRY AIR IN PLACE WITH RATHER LARGE DEWPT DEPRESSIONS. TO FURTHER COMPLICATE MATTERS...SFC TEMPS VARY WIDELY WITH CNTRL-ERN SITES CALM/DECOUPLED AND WRN SITES WEAKLY MIXED AOA 32F. TO GET A SENSE OF THIS GRADIENT...THE 08Z THE TEMP DIFF FROM MGW TO SEG WAS 34 DEGREES...48F VS. 14F. THE LOCAL TEMP HERE AT THE OFFICE IS AROUND 19-20F. MADE NO CHANGES TO ZR ADVY HEADLINE COVERING NEARLY ALL OF THE CWA. HOWEVER CONCERN IS FOR MULTIPLE PTYPE SCENARIO GIVEN COMPLEXITY OF BLYR THERMAL STRUCTURE+WET BULB EFFECTS...WITH THE GREATEST POTNL FOR AN INITIAL PERIOD OF SNOW (MOST LKLY SLEET) ACRS NERN 1/2 OF THE CWA...ESPECIALLY THE ENDLESS MTN/SRN POCONO REGION NE OF THE LYCOMING VALLEY/IPT. ANTICIPATE UPDATING THE WX GRIDS ONCE THE PCPN TYPES START TO SHOW THEIR HAND OVER THE NEXT 1-3 HRS. TEMPS SHOULD WARM ABOVE FZG BY MIDDAY THUS ENDING THE THREAT FOR ZR. WILL NEED TO SEE IF MDLS ARE TOO AGGRESSIVE IN WARMING TEMPS GIVEN THE INITIAL WET BULBING AT THE ONSET OF PCPN. TEMPS SHOULD START TO WARM ONCE WINDS SHIFT TO THE WEST BEHIND OCCLD FRNT. ONCL LGT RAIN WILL CONTINUE INTO THE EARLY AFTN WITH THE HIGHEST POPS OVER THE ERN ZONES BASED ON A CONSENSUS BLEND OF MDL QPFS...AND NEAR SECONDARY SFC LOW DEVELOPING INVOF THE NJ COAST. A RAIN/SNOW MIX IS POSSIBLE OVER THE NW MTNS AS COLDER AIR ALOFT ARRIVES ON THE BACKSIDE OF THE SHORTWAVE TROUGH. PCPN ENDS FROM SW TO NE BY THIS EVE AS HIGH PRES MIGRATES EWD FROM THE UPPER OH VLY INTO PA...PROVIDING DRY WX FOR THE OVERNIGHT PD. && .SHORT TERM /THURSDAY THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT/... A STRONG MID-LVL TROUGH CROSSING THE PLAINS STATES THURS IS FCST TO TAKE ON A NEGATIVE TILT AS IT REACHES THE UPPER GRT LKS AND MS/OH VLYS THURS NGT. AT THE SFC...HIGH PRES WILL SHIFT OFF THE MID-ATL COAST EARLY THURS AS A WARM FRONT...EXTENDING EWD FROM DEEPENING SFC LOW MOVG NNEWD FROM SERN KN TO LK SUPERIOR BY THE END OF THE PD...LIFTS NWD ACRS THE AREA BY 00Z FRI. THE MAIN SYNOPTIC FEATURE OF INTEREST WILL BE THE SHARP/TRAILING COLD FRONT WHICH WILL BE CROSSING THE APPLCHNS AROUND 12Z FRI. THIS FRONT IS EXPECTED TO BE A FOCUS FOR A LINE OF LOW-TOPPED CONVECTION WHICH COULD REACH THE WRN ALLEGHENIES EARLY FRI MORNING. QUESTION FOR THURS WILL BE THE EXTENT OF THE LLVL CAD PATTERN GIVEN THE EXPECTED ONSLAUGHT OF LLVL WAA IN ADVANCE OF DYNAMIC MIDWEST SYSTEM. THE HIRES NAM SHOWS NELY AGEO WINDS HOLDING SFC TEMPS IN THE 35-40F RANGE WITH SOME OVERRUNNING PCPN SPREADING INTO NWRN SECTIONS. SREF DATA SHOWS THE DOMINANT PTYPES AS RAIN WITH VERY LOW PROBS FOR FROZEN/FZG PCPN IN THE N-CNTRL MTNS/N OF I-80. IN GENERAL..STAYED VERY CLOSE TO CONSENSUS BLEND FOR MOST ELEMENTS...WHICH FAVORED DAYTIME TEMPS AROUND 40F AND CATEGORICAL POPS ACRS THE FAR NW ZONES THURS NGT. SPC DAY 2+3 OUTLOOKS PLACES THE AREA IN GENERAL RISK HOWEVER MAY NEED TO ADD ENHANCED WORDING IN HWO DUE TO POSSIBLE NCFRB/LOW TOPPED SQ LINE RACING ACRS THE AREA DURING THE PRE-DAWN AND MORNING HOURS FRI. THE SYSTEM IS PROGRESSIVE WHICH WILL LIMIT HVY RAIN POTNL/FLOOD THREAT...HOWEVER ICE JAM EFFECTS COULD BE A CONCERN. ATTM DO NOT ANTICIPATE RAPID SNOWMELT. && .LONG TERM /FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/... AS COLD FRONT SLIDES ACROSS ON FRI...PRECIP WILL PUSH EASTWARD AND COOLER AIR WILL FILTER BACK INTO THE REGION. GFS/ECMWF NOW IN QUITE GOOD ALIGNMENT WITH MAIN FEATURES AS THIS SYSTEM EVOLVES...WITH PRECIP ENDING BY LUNCHTIME FRI. BROAD TROUGH DEVELOPS ACROSS EASTERN 2/3RDS OF U.S. FOR THE WEEKEND...GIVING US A SLOW AND STEADY RETURN BACK TO SLIGHTLY BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES. WEAK FRONT PUSHES THROUGH MID-WEEKEND THAT MAY BRING LIGHT ACCUMS OF SNOW. OTHERWISE...NO BIG SYSTEMS ON THE HORIZON. SNOWFLAKES WILL LINGER OVER THE WESTERN/NORTHERN HIGHER TERRAIN IN PERSISTENT NW/W FLOW. AS FAR AS THE SNOW COVER AND RIVER ICE...WARMING TREND LATE THIS WEEK WILL BE FAIRLY SHORT-LIVED...SO MELTING OF SNOW AND ICE WILL REMAIN GRADUAL...WHICH SHOULD KEEP POTENTIAL FOR WIDESPREAD PROBLEMS LOW. && .AVIATION /10Z WEDNESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/... HIGH PRESSURE...CLEAR SKIES...LIGHT WINDS AND SNOWPACK HAVE ALLOWED FOR FOG/MIST ACROSS SOUTHEASTERN AND CENTRAL PA OVERNIGHT. THE THICKEST FOG WAS AT LNS...AND THAT HAS SINCE LIFTED. THERE IS A CHANCE FOR FOG AT LNS BETWEEN 11Z-15Z...OUT AHEAD OF THE NEXT BAND OF PRECIPITATION. EXPECT FOG/MIST AT UNV...MDT AND LNS AND SHOULD CONTINUE THROUGH MID MORNING. PRECIP ASSOCIATED WITH THE APPROACHING COLD FRONT WILL BEGIN MOVING INTO SOUTHWESTERN AREAS AROUND OR JUST BEFORE DAWN...PROBABLY IN THE FORM OF FREEZING RAIN/DRIZZLE OR A LIGHT WINTRY MIX. MOST TERMINALS WILL LIKELY EXPERIENCE A LIGHT ICING ISSUE FOR A FEW HOURS AS THE PRECIP MOVES INTO THE REGION. THE THREAT FOR ICING SHOULD DIMINISH BY MID TO LATE MORNING AS TEMPERATURES RECOVER SLOWLY ABOVE FREEZING. MVFR/IFR CAN BE EXPECTED WITH THE COMBINATION OF THE MILDER AIR AND LIGHT PRECIP MOVING IN OVER OUR DEEP SNOW PACK. THE COLD FRONT SHOULD MOVE THROUGH THE AREA BY EARLY TO MID AFTERNOON...FOLLOWED BY A COOLER AND DRIER NW FLOW IN THE WAKE OF THE FRONT. THERE COULD BE SOME LINGERING MVFR/IFR IN SCATTERED RAIN OR SNOW SHOWERS...BUT THESE WILL BE VERY BRIEF AND CONFINED TO THE WESTERN MOUNTAINS. OUTLOOK... THU...MVFR/IFR LIKELY WITH SHOWERS AND FOG. FRI...SHRA/REDUCED CIGS LIKELY. SAT...NO SIG WX EXPECTED. SUN...MVFR/SCT SHSN NW. MAINLY VFR ELSEWHERE. && .CTP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... FREEZING RAIN ADVISORY UNTIL NOON EST TODAY FOR PAZ006-012-037- 041-042-045-046-049>053-057>059. FREEZING RAIN ADVISORY UNTIL 9 AM EST THIS MORNING FOR PAZ004- 005-010-011-017>019-024>028-033>036-056-063>066. && SYNOPSIS...STEINBUGL NEAR TERM...STEINBUGL SHORT TERM...STEINBUGL LONG TERM...RXR AVIATION...LA CORTE/CERU
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA 450 AM EST WED FEB 19 2014 PAZ004-005-010-011-017>019-024>028-033>036-056-063>066-201000- WARREN-MCKEAN-ELK-CAMERON-CLEARFIELD-NORTHERN CENTRE-SOUTHERN CENTRE- CAMBRIA-BLAIR-HUNTINGDON-MIFFLIN-JUNIATA-SOMERSET-BEDFORD-FULTON- FRANKLIN-PERRY-CUMBERLAND-ADAMS-YORK-LANCASTER- 450 AM EST WED FEB 19 2014 ...FREEZING RAIN ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 AM EST THIS MORNING... 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. FREEZING RAIN ADVISORY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SNOW AND ICE ACCUMULATIONS TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STATE COLLEGE. PAZ006-012-037-041-042-045-046-049>053-057>059-201000- POTTER-NORTHERN CLINTON-TIOGA-NORTHERN LYCOMING-SULLIVAN- SOUTHERN CLINTON-SOUTHERN LYCOMING-UNION-SNYDER-MONTOUR- NORTHUMBERLAND-COLUMBIA-DAUPHIN-SCHUYLKILL-LEBANON- 450 AM EST WED FEB 19 2014 ...FREEZING RAIN 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. FREEZING RAIN ADVISORY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SNOW AND ICE ACCUMULATIONS TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STATE COLLEGE.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.
A quick glazing of ice from freezing rain caused a major traffic accident on I-80W and closed a 10-mile section section between Kylertown and Woodland (Exits 123-133).
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Pennsylvania in 2014Every state in 2014This day in weather historyWarnings in Pennsylvania, February 2014
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: 489677.