A significant winter storm impacted Central Pennsylvania from late on 4 February into the afternoon on Wednesday 5 February 2014. A wintry mix of heavy snow, sleet, freezing rain and rain occurred across the region from a dynamic low pressure system and upper-level energy that shifted from the Ohio Valley to the Mid-Atlantic coast.
Every event with a place to put it; 34 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 significant winter storm impacted Central Pennsylvania from late on 4 February into the afternoon on Wednesday 5 February 2014. A wintry mix of heavy snow, sleet, freezing rain and rain occurred across the region from a dynamic low pressure system and upper-level energy that shifted from the Ohio Valley to the Mid-Atlantic coast. The snow started during the late evening on 2/4 across the western Alleghenies before changing to sleet and freezing rain during the pre-dawn and early morning hours on 2/5. Sleet quickly changed to all freezing rain over the southern tier counties, where widespread heavy icing (0.25-0.50 inch) was observed. The greatest ice accumulations were focused over the Lower Susquehanna Valley. The wintry precipitation ended by the early afternoon on 2/5. Total snow accumulations generally ranged from 6 to 10 inches over a relatively narrow sw-ne stripe through the zones located just north of I-80. Locally higher amounts close to a foot were observed in Tioga County and into the southern Poconos. Snow amounts of 1 to 5 inches were common in the south-central mountains, tempered by sleet and freezing rain. Over the far southeast, storm total (liquid) precipitation amounts averaged between 1 and 2 inches.
Impacts: The heavy snow and significant icing prompted many schools to close on 2/5. Road travel varied from hazardous to extremely dangerous across the area with severe traffic impacts on the morning commute. The wintry precipitation caused numerous vehicle accidents and road closures. A fatal vehicle accident involving four tractor trailers and a passenger car closed Interstate 76 (PA Turnpike) in Lower Allen Township, Cumberland County, around 1130 PM EST on 2/4 until about 1 PM EST on 2/5. The storm also downed several trees and utility lines creating widespread power outages. At the height of the storm nearly 850,000 customers statewide were without power (primarily in the southeastern PA). The State EOC maintained activation throughout the storm. Shelters and warming centers were opened throughout the southeast region. Governor Tom Corbett declared a disaster emergency for York and Lancaster counties to make state resources, including the National Guard, available to support county and local recovery operations.
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 4, 6:09 PM EST, 51 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA 609 PM EST TUE FEB 4 2014 .SYNOPSIS... A FAST MOVING STORM WILL BRING HEAVY WINTRY PRECIPITATION TO CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA TONIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY. TRAVEL WILL BE SEVERELY SLOWED AND POWER OUTAGES ARE POSSIBLE. CHILLY HIGH PRESSURE WILL THEN COVER MUCH OF THE COUNTRY EAST OF THE ROCKIES FOR THE REST OF THE WEEK. A STORM SYSTEM MAY PASS NEARBY LATE IN THE WEEKEND...BRINGING ANOTHER CHANCE FOR WINTRY PRECIPITATION. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 AM WEDNESDAY MORNING/... ONLY MINOR CHANGES MADE TO THE NEAR TERM...AS WE WAIT FOR THE STORM TO MOVE INTO THE REGION. THE WINTER STORM WILL RAPIDLY SPREAD SNOW INTO CENTRAL PA STARTING BETWEEN 02-05Z...AND PRECIP RATES WILL INCREASE QUICKLY DURING THE EARLY MORNING HOURS AS A GOOD CONNECTION TO GULF MOISTURE DEVELOPS AHEAD OF THE ADVANCING UPPER TROUGH. STRONG AGREEMENT AMONG THE MODEL SOLUTIONS EXISTS SO CONFIDENCE REMAINS HIGH IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF A SIGNIFICANT SHIELD OF HEAVY PRECIP. BY THIS EVENING...A LOW CENTER WILL BE OVER NASHVILLE AND PRECIP WILL BE ENTERING THE WESTERN COUNTIES AROUND 9 PM...AND QUICKLY INTENSIFY AS WARM ADVECTION ALOFT OVERRIDES COLDER LOW LEVEL AIR. THE PRECIP SHOULD START OUT AS A WAVE OR TWO OF SNOW THEN TURN INTO SLEET ACROSS THE SOUTH...WHILE HEAVY SNOW CONTINUES ALL NIGHT IN THE NORTH. COMPLICATED WX GRIDS AND P-TYPE ISSUES /ESPECIALLY ACROSS CENTRAL COUNTIES BETWEEN I-80 AND THE TURNPIKE/...BUT KEPT BASICS OF THE PREV FORECASTS INTACT - WHICH STILL ARE WELL SUPPORTED BY LATEST MODEL RUNS. BIGGEST VARIABILITY EXISTS ACROSS CENTRAL STRIPE WITH COLDER AIR SLIDING IN UNDER THE WARMING ALOFT MAKING FOR A VERY TRICKY EVOLUTION - WITH SUBTLE CHANGES TO THE TEMPERATURE PROFILE CAUSING QUITE LARGE SWINGS IN POTENTIAL WEATHER. THOUGH PRECIP SHOULD START OUT AS SNOW AND GRADUALLY TRANSITION TO FREEZING PRECIP AS NIGHT WEARS ON. QPF LOOKS VERY HIGH FOR SUCH A FAST-MOVING WAVE...WITH VALUES TOTALING JUST UNDER AN INCH. IN THE NORTH...HEAVY SNOW EXPECTED...PERHAPS THE HEAVIEST SNOW OF THE SEASON SO FAR IN THOSE AREAS...ESPECIALLY GIVE THE FACT THAT IT SHOULD ALL FALL IN LESS THAN 18 HRS...WITH THE HEAVIEST OCCURRING IN A 6-8 HR PERIOD. SF RATES OF ONE TO TWO INCH/HOUR MUST BE PRESENT FOR A LOT OF THE TIME TO GENERATE THE NUMBERS WE HAVE GOING /10-12"/. CONTINUITY AND WPC GUIDANCE REMAIN WELL ALIGNED WITH THE 12Z RUNS. IN THE LAURELS AND SC MTNS...SIGNIFICANT ICE ACCRETIONS POSS. IF COLDER AIR WINS OUT FOR A LONGER PERIOD...SLEET WILL CUT DOWN ON ICE AMOUNTS. BUT EVENTUALLY THE WARMER AIR WILL ALLOW THE ICE TO WIN OUT. SIGNIFICANT TRAVEL PROBLEMS ARE POSSIBLE. POWER OUTAGES AS WELL...DUE TO THE WEIGHT OF ANY SIGNIFICANT ICE AND SNOW. THE PRECIP MAY TURN TO PLAIN RAIN ALONG THE M-D LINE IN THE MORNING. BUT...THE COLD AIR IS TRAPPED AND WILL BE TOUGH TO SCOUR OUT UNTIL THE SFC WINDS GO WESTERLY IN THE LATE MORNING. THE SFC WINDS STAY LIGHT AND EASTERLY FOR ALMOST THE ENTIRE EVENT. && .SHORT TERM /6 AM WEDNESDAY MORNING THROUGH 6 PM WEDNESDAY/... HEAVIER WINTRY PRECIPITATION WILL BE ONGOING AT SUNRISE WED...BUT THE WAVE MOVES QUICKLY AND THE STORM JUMPS TO THE COAST AND HEADS NE JUST AS THE CENTER LOW MOVES INTO PA IN THE MORNING. THE COASTAL LOW WILL TAKE OVER BEFORE NOON AND MOISTURE GOES TO NEAR NIL AFTER NOON. DRY SLOT WILL ALSO SLIDE IN FROM THE SOUTH BY NOON...SO THE PRECIP WILL LIGHTEN AND END BY MIDDAY WED. THE COLD AIR MOVING IN AND UPSLOPE LATER IN THE DAY WILL CONTINUE TO GENERATE SHSN THROUGH THE REST OF THE DAY IN THE FAR N AND THE LAURELS. THEREFORE...HAVE LINGERED THE WINTER STORM WARNING PRETTY LATE THERE...BUT WILL END IT A FEW HOURS EARLIER IN THE S/E. && .LONG TERM /WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY/... DEFORMATION SNOW /NORTH/ AND UPSLOPE SNOW SHOWERS /SW MTNS/ IN THE WAKE OF THE DEPARTING WINTER STORM WILL END LATE WED NGT. A STRONG SFC HIGH PRES SYSTEM WEDGING INTO MONTANA AND BUILDING DOWN THROUGH THE CENTRAL PLAINS TODAY/WEDNESDAY WILL SHIFT EWD ACRS THE OH VLY/NRN MID-ATL THURS-FRI AND MOVE INTO THE NORTHEAST/SRN NEW ENGLAND ON SATURDAY. THIS SHOULD KEEP A MAINLY DRY BUT COLD WEATHER PATTERN IN PLACE FOR THE SECOND HALF OF THE WEEK AND INTO THE FIRST PART OF THE WEEKEND...WITH TEMPERATURES AVERAGING BELOW EARLY FEBRUARY CLIMATOLOGICAL NORMALS. THE UPPER LEVEL PATTERN WILL TRANSITION FROM AN AMPLIFIED FLOW WITH A DOMINANT RIDGE OFF THE WEST COAST...TO A FLATTER/WESTERLY FLOW ALOFT WITH AN EVENTUAL PACIFIC INFLUENCE BY NEXT WEEK 11 FEB 2014. PERSISTENT TROUGHING IN EASTERN CANADA SHOULD RELOAD AN INTRUSION OF ABNORMALLY COLD...CANADIAN AIR INTO THE REGION EARLY NEXT WEEK...LEADING TO A RELATIVELY COLD MEDIUM RANGE PERIOD FOR DAYS 3-7. CONFIDENCE IN BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES IS ABOVE AVERAGE. THE OPERATIONAL MODELS SUGGEST SPLIT-STREAM ENERGY PROGRESSING EWD FROM THE PLAINS/MIDWEST MAY SUPPORT A BROAD EAST-WEST SWATH OF LGT PCPN FROM IA/IL TO OH/PA SAT NGT WITHIN A ZONE OF UPPER LEVEL CONFLUENCE...ON THE NRN EDGE OF LLVL TEMPERATURE GRADIENT. THE MORE INTERESTING FEATURE FOR THIS PERIOD IS A SFC LOW PROGGED TO DEVELOP OVER THE SOUTHEAST STATES AND MOVE UP ALONG/OFF THE EAST COAST SUN/D6 AND MON D7...THEN EXIT NEWD INTO THE CANADIAN MARITIMES ON TUE D8. MDL DIAGNOSTICS SHOW THE 04/12Z GFS/GEFS ARE MUCH STRONGER AND SLOWER THAN THE 12Z CMC/UKMET AND 12Z EC/ECENS...OWING TO A SHARPER/NEGATIVE TILT 500MB TROUGH. THE 12Z NAEFS COULD BE A DECENT COMPROMISE AT THIS STAGE. NEVERTHELESS..THE SCREAMING MESSAGE IS THAT THERE IS LOW CONFIDENCE IN A POTENTIAL WEEKEND WINTER STORM DUE TO HIGH UNCERTAINTY AND LARGE MODEL SPREAD. THEREFORE...CONTINUED THE TO BLEND THE PREVIOUS FCST WITH THE LATEST 12Z CONSENSUS GUID. && .AVIATION /23Z TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/... VFR CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH AT LEAST 00Z AS HIGH PRESSURE CONTINUES TO RETREAT TO THE EAST. WINDS WILL BE LIGHT FROM THE EAST. AN APPROACHING WINTER STORM WILL RAPIDLY SPREAD SNOW INTO CENTRAL PA STARTING BETWEEN 02-05Z...WITH ASSOCIATED WIDESPREAD CIG/VSBY REDUCTIONS TO IFR DEVELOPING QUICKLY AS WELL. THE PRECIP WILL REMAIN ALL SNOW NORTH OF I-80...WITH A TRANSITION TO A WINTRY MIX ACROSS THE SOUTH BY WED MORNING. THERE IS A HIGH LIKELIHOOD OF ICING CONDITIONS SOUTH OF I-80 BETWEEN 06Z-14Z WED. SNOW LIGHTENS BUT CONTINUES THROUGH WED MORNING MAINLY NORTH OF I-80 BEFORE TAPERING OFF IN THE AFTERNOON...WHILE SOUTHERN AREAS WILL SEE PRECIP BECOME LIGHT BEFORE NOON. CONDITIONS WILL GRADUALLY IMPROVE LATE WED INTO WED NIGHT...THOUGH LOWER CIGS WILL PERSIST IN THE NORTHERN AND WESTERN HIGHER TERRAIN IN SNOW SHOWERS. OUTLOOK... TUE NIGHT-WED...WIDESPREAD IFR LIKELY IN SNOW/MIXED PCPN. THU-FRI...MVFR W AND N WITH SCT SNOW SHOWERS...MVFR TO VFR CENTRAL AND SOUTH. SAT...NO SIG WX. SUN...LIGHT SNOW WITH RESTRICTIONS POSS. && .CLIMATE... SNOWFALL RECORDS FOR FEBRUARY 5... HARRISBURG...... 8.5 INCHES IN 1907 WILLIAMSPORT.... 7.8 INCHES IN 1908 STATE COLLEGE... 6.5 INCHES IN 1908 && .CTP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 7 PM EST WEDNESDAY FOR PAZ004>006- 010>012-037-041-042-045-046. WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 4 PM EST WEDNESDAY FOR PAZ017>019- 024>028-033>036-049>053-056>059-063>066. && SYNOPSIS...LA CORTE/RXR NEAR TERM...LA CORTE/RXR SHORT TERM...RXR LONG TERM...STEINBUGL AVIATION...CERU/RXR CLIMATE...
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA 1023 AM EST TUE FEB 4 2014 PAZ017>019-024>028-033>036-049>053-056>059-063>066-051530- CLEARFIELD-NORTHERN CENTRE-SOUTHERN CENTRE-CAMBRIA-BLAIR-HUNTINGDON- MIFFLIN-JUNIATA-SOMERSET-BEDFORD-FULTON-FRANKLIN-UNION-SNYDER- MONTOUR-NORTHUMBERLAND-COLUMBIA-PERRY-DAUPHIN-SCHUYLKILL-LEBANON- CUMBERLAND-ADAMS-YORK-LANCASTER- 1023 AM EST TUE FEB 4 2014 ...WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 7 PM THIS EVENING TO 4 PM EST WEDNESDAY... 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. WINTER STORM WARNING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY. PLEASE LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR GO TO WEATHER.GOV/STATECOLLEGE ON THE INTERNET FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FOLLOWING HAZARDS. WINTER STORM WARNING. ANOTHER WINTER STORM SYSTEM COULD IMPACT THE AREA THIS WEEKEND. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. PAZ004>006-010>012-037-041-042-045-046-051530- WARREN-MCKEAN-POTTER-ELK-CAMERON-NORTHERN CLINTON-TIOGA- NORTHERN LYCOMING-SULLIVAN-SOUTHERN CLINTON-SOUTHERN LYCOMING- 1023 AM EST TUE FEB 4 2014 ...WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 7 PM THIS EVENING TO 7 PM EST WEDNESDAY... 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. WINTER STORM WARNING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY. PLEASE LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR GO TO WEATHER.GOV/STATECOLLEGE ON THE INTERNET FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FOLLOWING HAZARDS. WINTER STORM WARNING. ANOTHER WINTER STORM SYSTEM COULD IMPACT THE AREA THIS WEEKEND. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
34 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Ice accumulations from sleet and heavy freezing rain averaged between 0.25 and 0.50 inch.
Ice accumulations from sleet and heavy freezing rain averaged between 0.25 and 0.50 inch.
Snow accumulations ranged from 1 to 2 inches. Ice accumulations from sleet and heavy freezing rain averaged between 0.25 and 0.50 inch.
Snow accumulations ranged from 1 to 2 inches. Ice accumulations from sleet and heavy freezing rain averaged between 0.25 and 0.50 inch.
Snow accumulations ranged from 1 to 2 inches. Ice accumulations from sleet and heavy freezing rain averaged between 0.25 and 0.50 inch.
Snow accumulations ranged from 1 to 3 inches. Ice accumulations from sleet and heavy freezing rain averaged between 0.25 and 0.50 inch.
Snow accumulations ranged from 1 to 3 inches. Ice accumulations from sleet and heavy freezing rain averaged between 0.25 and 0.50 inch.
Snow accumulations ranged from 2 to 4 inches. Ice accumulations from sleet and heavy freezing rain averaged between 0.25 and 0.50 inch.
Snow accumulations ranged from 1 to 3 inches. Ice accumulations from sleet and heavy freezing rain averaged between 0.25 and 0.50 inch. A six-mile section of the Pennsylvania Turnpike was closed following a crash that killed a truck driver and closed the toll highway for about 14 hours. The eastbound and westbound lanes between the Harrisburg West Shore and Gettysburg Pike interchanges reopened shortly before 1330 pm EST on 2/5. Four tractor-trailers and a passenger car were involved in the chain-reaction crash that occurred near mile marker 338 in Cumberland County at around 2330 pm EST on 2/4. The driver of one of the trucks was killed at the scene.
Snow accumulations ranged from 1 to 2 inches. Ice accumulations from sleet and heavy freezing rain averaged between 0.25 and 0.50 inch.
Snow accumulations ranged from 2 to 4 inches. Ice accumulations from sleet and heavy freezing rain were between 0.25-0.30 inch.
Snow accumulations ranged from 2 to 4 inches. Ice accumulations from sleet and heavy freezing rain were between 0.25-0.30 inch.
Snow accumulations ranged from 2 to 4 inches. Ice accumulations from sleet and heavy freezing rain were between 0.25-0.30 inch.
Snow accumulations ranged from 2 to 4 inches. Ice accumulations from sleet and heavy freezing rain were between 0.25-0.30 inch.
Snow accumulations ranged from 3 to 6 inches. Ice accumulations from sleet and heavy freezing rain were between 0.10-0.25 inch.
Snow accumulations ranged from 3 to 6 inches. Ice accumulations from sleet and heavy freezing rain were between 0.10-0.25 inch.
Snow accumulations ranged from 3 to 6 inches. Ice accumulations from sleet and heavy freezing rain were between 0.10-0.25 inch.
Snow accumulations ranged from 4 to 8 inches. Ice accumulations from sleet and heavy freezing rain were around 0.10 inch.
Snow accumulations ranged from 6 to 8 inches. Ice accumulations from sleet and heavy freezing rain were around 0.10 inch.
Snow accumulations ranged from 2 to 4 inches. Ice accumulations from sleet and heavy freezing rain were between 0.10-0.25 inch.
Snow accumulations ranged from 2 to 4 inches. Ice accumulations from sleet and heavy freezing rain were between 0.25-0.30 inch.
Snow accumulations ranged from 2 to 4 inches. Ice accumulations from sleet and heavy freezing rain were between 0.25-0.30 inch.
Snow and sleet accumulations ranged between 5 and 10 inches.
Snow and sleet accumulations ranged between 5 and 10 inches.
Snow and sleet accumulations ranged between 5 and 10 inches.
Snow accumulations ranged between 8 and 12 inches.
Snow accumulations ranged between 8 and 12 inches.
Snow accumulations ranged between 8 and 12 inches.
Snow and sleet accumulations ranged between 6 and 8 inches.
Snow and sleet accumulations ranged between 6 and 8 inches.
Snow and sleet accumulations ranged between 4 and 6 inches. Ice accumulations were between 0.10-0.25 inch.
Snow accumulations ranged between 5 to 10 inches.
Snow accumulations ranged between 4 to 8 inches, mainly over the southeast half of the county.
Snow accumulations ranged between 5 to 10 inches.
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter Storm, Cumberland | 2014-02-04 | 70 | Male | Vehicle/Towed Trailer | Indirect |
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: 487701, 487702, 487703, 487704, 487705, 487706, 487707, 487708, 487709, 487710, 487714, 487715, 487716, 487717, 487718, 487719, 487720, 487721, 487722, 487723, 487724, 487725, 487726, 487727, 487728, 487729, 487730, 487731, 487732, 487733, 487734, 487735, 487736, 487737.