The interaction between a strong arctic cold front and coastal low pressure system produced heavy snow across portions of Central Pennsylvania on 2 January 2014. The longer-duration snow across the Northern Mountains, influenced primarily by the arctic front, fell mostly during the morning and afternoon hours.
Every event with a place to put it; 6 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.
The interaction between a strong arctic cold front and coastal low pressure system produced heavy snow across portions of Central Pennsylvania on 2 January 2014. The longer-duration snow across the Northern Mountains, influenced primarily by the arctic front, fell mostly during the morning and afternoon hours. The bulk of the heavy snow in the Lower Susquehanna Valley fell during the late evening with occasional 1 inch/hour snowfall rates, as the surface low pressure system strengthened off the Mid-Atlantic coast. Very cold air surged into the region behind the arctic front, causing blowing snow and frigid wind chills over the northern tier.
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 2, 2:38 AM EST, 1 hour 22 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA 238 AM EST THU JAN 2 2014 .SYNOPSIS... AN ARCTIC FRONT...SHARPENING UPPER TROUGH AND MOISTURE FROM THE GULF OF MEXICO WILL DEVELOP A STORM WHICH WILL MAKE A WIDESPREAD MODERATE SNOWFALL TODAY AND TONIGHT. AFTER THE STORM...BITTERLY COLD AIR WILL OVERSPREAD THE REGION WITH DANGEROUS WIND CHILLS EXPECTED. TEMPERATURES SHOULD MODERATE OVER THE WEEKEND BEFORE ANOTHER STORM SYSTEM THREATENS THE AREA EARLY NEXT WEEK. A MORE EXTENSIVE AND PROLONGED COLD AIR OUTBREAK IS LIKELY FOR THE FIRST HALF OF NEXT WEEK. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL NOON TODAY/... FORECAST UNDERWAY IS SOLID WITH NOT EVEN A TWEAK NECESSARY. NO REAL SNOW AT ALL IN THE NORTH RIGHT NOW...BUT THE VERY LIGHT SNOW WILL RETURN VERY SHORTLY AS THE CLOUDS ARE LOW AND A VORT MAX PUSHES NORTHWARD AS THE FLOW BUCKLES TO THE WEST. SNOW WILL NOT SO MUCH MOVE IN FROM SOMEWHERE...BUT RATHER EXPAND IN COVERAGE AS LARGE SCALE FORCING INCREASES OVERHEAD. SRN PA SHOULD HAVE A FLURRY OR TWO BEFORE NOON...BUT SHOULD STAY FREE FROM ACCUMULATIONS THROUGH THE MORNING. && .SHORT TERM /NOON TODAY THROUGH 6 PM FRIDAY/... UPSTREAM SHORTWAVE ENERGY DIGGING SEWD ATTM ACROSS THE NRN/CNTRL ROCKIES AND HIGH PLAINS IS FORECAST BY THE LATEST MODELS TO GRADUALLY AMPLIFY DOWN TWD THE SRN PLAINS AND THE LWR/MID MS VLY REGION BY EARLY THURS. THIS NRN STREAM ENERGY IS EXPECTED TO TRACK ENEWD ACROSS AR OVERNIGHT AND UP THROUGH TN/KY ON THURS. LOW PRESSURE SHOULD REDEVELOP OVER THE SRN MID-ATLANTIC COASTAL PLAIN BY THURS EVE. A SEPARATE SRN STREAM LOW CENTER IS ALSO EXPECTED TO DEVELOP JUST OFF THE SOUTHEAST COASTLINE THURS AND ADVANCE NEWD OFFSHORE THE MID-ATLANTIC THURS NIGHT. THE MORE DOMINANT NRN STREAM ENERGY/LOW WILL GRADUALLY MERGE/PHASE WITH THE SRN STREAM LOW OFF THE EAST COAST LATE THURS NIGHT/EARLY FRI...RESULTING IN A RAPIDLY INTENSIFYING LOW CENTER ACROSS THE WRN ATLANTIC OCEAN. AN ARCTIC COLD FRONT ATTENDANT TO THE NRN STREAM ENERGY WILL FOLLOW IMMEDIATELY IN BEHIND THE EXITING EAST COAST LOW. THE 12Z NAM/09Z SREF MEAN HAVE TRENDED SLOWER AND DEEPER WITH THE AMPLIFYING UPPER TROUGH AND SUGGEST SOME NEG TILT AS THE SYS ADVANCES TWD THE EAST COAST. THE RESULT IS A MORE CONSOLIDATED/ORGANIZED LOW CENTER AND INCREASED QPF OVER THE SE ZONES THURS NGT. THE 12Z GFS GENERALLY AGREES WITH THIS IDEA...BUT THE GFS IS NOT AS STRONG ALOFT WITH THE HT FALLS. THE 12Z GEM GLOBAL/12Z UKMET AND 12Z ECMWF ARE QUITE CLOSE ALOFT TO THE 12Z GFS WITH THE VORT ENERGY/HT FALL EVOLUTION...AND ONE IMPORTANT TREND THAT ALL THREE NON-NCEP MODELS HAD WITH THE 12Z CYCLE IS THAT THEY ARE A LITTLE SHARPER WITH THEIR RESPECTIVE TROUGH AXIS AND SUGGEST MORE NEG TILT...WHICH IS VERY COMPARABLE TO THE 12Z GFS. CONSEQUENTLY...THERE IS NOT AS RAPID OF A LOW CENTER CROSSING THE SRN MID-ATLANTIC COASTAL PLAIN THURS NIGHT AND OFF THE EAST COAST FRI AS NRN AND SRN STREAM PHASING OCCURS. THE LATEST MODEL CLUSTERING RATHER SUPPORTS A MORE CONSOLIDATED AND SOMEWHAT STRONGER LOW THAT ADVANCES EAST THROUGH THE OH VLY AND ACROSS THE SRN MID-ATLANTIC COASTAL PLAIN...AND WITH NRN/SRN STREAM PHASING OCCURRING A BIT CLOSER TO THE EAST COAST. ALL OF THE MODELS SUPPORT VERY INTENSE LOW PRESSURE EVOLVING OFFSHORE THE MID-ATLANTIC AND NEW ENGLAND COASTS BY EARLY FRI AS A RESULT. THE 12Z GEFS MEAN STRONGLY SUPPORTS THE 12Z GFS. THE 12Z ECMWF FAVORS THE GFS-LED CLUSTER...WITH THE 00Z ECENS MEAN RELATIVELY WEAKER AND MORE PROGRESSIVE LIKE THE 00Z ECMWF WAS. BASED ON THE LATEST MODEL TRENDS...STRONGER MODEL CLUSTERING AND BETTER RUN TO RUN CONTINUITY THE LAST 2 TO 3 DAYS...WPC STILL PREFERS THE GFS. TAKING SEVERAL FACTORS INTO CONSIDERATION...DECIDED TO ISSUE A HIGH-END ADVISORY FOR THE ENTIRE CWA. THIS IS BASED LARGELY ON FCST SNOW AMOUNTS AND DEFINED 12/24HR CRITERIA. 36HR SNOW TOTALS WOULD SUPPORT A WARNING ACRS THE NRN 1/3 OF THE CWA BUT THE MAIN EVENT IS REALLY ONLY ABOUT 18HRS FROM THURS AFTN THRU THURS NGT. THE ABOVE CLIMO SLR/S PERHAPS UPWARDS OF 15:1 (FLUFF-FACTOR) ALONG WITH SLOWER/SHARPER TREND IN THE MODEL GUIDANCE AND ANOMALOUS 850MB EASTERLY JET THAT DEVELOPS JUST TO THE NE LATE IN THE PERIOD ARE ALL THINGS TO BE LEARY OF...BUT I WAS NOT GOING TO HANG MY HAT ON THESE FACTORS AND ULTIMATELY WENT WITH THE HIGH CONFIDENCE OUTCOME - WHICH IS SUPPORTED BY THE GEFS/SREF MEANS. IT LOOKS LIKE THE HEAVIEST SNOW WILL FALL FROM NE PA INTO INTERIOR/COASTAL NEW ENGLAND. IN ADDITION TO THE WIDESPREAD LGT-MOD SNOW...ARCTIC AIR WILL INVADE THE AREA BEHIND THE EXITING COASTAL LOW LATE THURS NGT INTO EARLY FRIDAY. BLUSTERY WINDS COUPLED WITH VERY COLD TEMPERATURES WILL DROP WIND CHILLS BELOW ZERO EVERYWHERE. AMBIENT TEMPS NEAR OR BELOW ZERO COUPLED WITH 20-30MPH WIND GUSTS WILL DROP WIND CHILLS AS LOW AS 20 BELOW ACRS THE LAUREL HIGHLANDS AND NRN MTNS...THUS ISSUED A WIND CHILL ADVY FOR THESE AREAS. && .LONG TERM /FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... TWO SIGNIFICANT UPPER TROUGHS WILL CROSS PA THIS PERIOD...THE FIRST ON FRIDAY AT THE TAIL END OF THE MODERATE SNOW EVENT...AND THEN A SECOND WILL MOVE THROUGH AROUND NEXT TUESDAY. THEIR PASSAGES WILL DEFINITELY USHER IN THE COLDEST AIR OF THE YEAR...AND POSSIBLY THE COLDEST IN SEVERAL YEARS...WITH BELOW ZERO TEMPERATURES STILL LOOKING POSSIBLE ON SEVERAL DAYS. ALSO...THE COLD TEMPERATURES AND STRONG WINDS WILL COMBINE TO PRODUCE DANGEROUS WIND CHILLS/APPARENT TEMPERATURES FRIDAY AND SATURDAY AND AGAIN ON MONDAY AND TUESDAY ACROSS PARTS OF CENTRAL PA. THE NEXT POSSIBLE WINTER STORM EVENT CONTINUES TO TAKE FOCUS FOR NEXT MONDAY. PHASING OF THE NRN STREAM ENERGY...OVER ONTARIO...AT THIS POINT LOOKS TO A FARTHER WEST AND NORTH STORM TRACK THAN THURSDAYS EVENT. THIS WILL BRING THE CHANCE OF RAIN AND MIXED PCPN INTO THE FORECAST AND THE GRIDS...MAINLY FOR THE SOUTHEASTERN TWO THIRDS OF OUR CWA. THE NWRN TWO THIRDS WILL LIKELY SEE MAINLY SNOW. COLD FRONT WILL CROSS THE STATE FROM WEST TO EAST DURING THE DAY MONDAY...CAUSING RAPIDLY FALLING TEMPS AND CHANGING ANY LINGERING PCPN TO SNOW. COLD MORNINGS TUE AND WED WITH A NEW SNOW PACK...BLUSTERY TUESDAY MORNING AND THEN UNDER A SFC HIGH WED MORNING. && .AVIATION /07Z THURSDAY THROUGH MONDAY/... ARCTIC AIR SLIPPING SOUTHWARD BEHIND A SLOWING FRONTAL BOUNDARY. APPROACHING LOW WILL BEGIN TO BUCKLE THE BOUNDARY BACK NORTHWARD IN W PA AS LARGE SCALE FORCING INCREASES. THIS WILL EXPAND THE LIGHT SNOW AREA ACROSS MAINLY NORTHWESTERN PORTION OF CWA OVERNIGHT...REINFORCING IFR CIGS AROUND KBFD AND DEVELOPING AN MVFR DECK THAT MAY IMPINGE ON KIPT-KUNV. SOUTHERN PA MAY SEE DEVELOPMENT OF MVFR VSBYS TOWARD SUNRISE BUT OTHERWISE WILL REMAIN VFR. DETERIORATING CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED CWA-WIDE ON THURSDAY AS A BROAD AREA OF MODERATE SNOW DEVELOPS OVER THE AREA. CIG AND VSBY REDUCTIONS WILL SPREAD ACROSS THE CENTRAL TAF SITES BY MID-LATE MORNING WITH LOWERING CIGS ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST BY LATE AFTERNOON. REDUCTIONS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH AT LEAST THE FIRST HALF OF THURSDAY NIGHT BEFORE SLOWLY LIFTING THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING. OUTLOOK... THU-FRI...WIDESPREAD VIS AND CIG REDUCTIONS IN SNOW. GUSTY N-NW WINDS THU NGT INTO EARLY FRI. SAT...MAINLY VFR WITH HIGH PRES DRIFTING EWD. SUN-MON...RESTRICTIONS LKLY AS ANOTHER LOW PRES SYSTEM IMPACTS THE AIRSPACE. && .CTP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 7 AM THIS MORNING TO 7 AM EST FRIDAY FOR PAZ037-041-042. WIND CHILL ADVISORY FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO NOON EST FRIDAY FOR PAZ006-012-018-037-041-042. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL MIDNIGHT EST TONIGHT FOR PAZ004>006-010>012-017-018. WIND CHILL ADVISORY FROM 7 PM THIS EVENING TO NOON EST FRIDAY FOR PAZ004-005-010-011-017-024-033. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM NOON TODAY TO 7 AM EST FRIDAY FOR PAZ019-025>028-034>036-045-046-049>053-056>059-063>066. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM NOON TODAY TO MIDNIGHT EST TONIGHT FOR PAZ024-033. && SYNOPSIS...LA CORTE/STEINBUGL NEAR TERM...DANGELO SHORT TERM...STEINBUGL LONG TERM...DANGELO/GARTNER AVIATION...CERU/RXR
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA 116 AM EST THU JAN 2 2014 PAZ037-041-042-030630- TIOGA-NORTHERN LYCOMING-SULLIVAN- 116 AM EST THU JAN 2 2014 ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 7 AM THIS MORNING TO 7 AM EST FRIDAY... ...WIND CHILL ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO NOON EST FRIDAY... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. PLEASE LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR GO TO WEATHER.GOV/STATECOLLEGE ON THE INTERNET FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FOLLOWING HAZARDS. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY. WIND CHILL ADVISORY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. PLEASE LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR GO TO WEATHER.GOV/STATECOLLEGE ON THE INTERNET FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FOLLOWING HAZARDS. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY. WIND CHILL ADVISORY. A MORE SIGNIFICANT COLD OUTBREAK IS POSSIBLE NEXT WEEK. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. PAZ004-005-010-011-017-030630- WARREN-MCKEAN-ELK-CAMERON-CLEARFIELD- 116 AM EST THU JAN 2 2014 ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT EST TONIGHT... ...WIND CHILL ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 7 PM THIS EVENING TO NOON EST FRIDAY... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. PLEASE LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR GO TO WEATHER.GOV/STATECOLLEGE ON THE INTERNET FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FOLLOWING HAZARDS. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY. WIND CHILL ADVISORY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. PLEASE LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR GO TO WEATHER.GOV/STATECOLLEGE ON THE INTERNET FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FOLLOWING HAZARDS. WIND CHILL ADVISORY. A MORE SIGNIFICANT COLD OUTBREAK IS POSSIBLE NEXT WEEK. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. PAZ019-025>028-034>036-045-046-049>053-056>059-063>066-030630- SOUTHERN CENTRE-BLAIR-HUNTINGDON-MIFFLIN-JUNIATA-BEDFORD-FULTON- FRANKLIN-SOUTHERN CLINTON-SOUTHERN LYCOMING-UNION-SNYDER-MONTOUR- NORTHUMBERLAND-COLUMBIA-PERRY-DAUPHIN-SCHUYLKILL-LEBANON-CUMBERLAND- ADAMS-YORK-LANCASTER- 116 AM EST THU JAN 2 2014 ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO 7 AM EST FRIDAY... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. PLEASE LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR GO TO WEATHER.GOV/STATECOLLEGE ON THE INTERNET FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FOLLOWING HAZARDS. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. PLEASE LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR GO TO WEATHER.GOV/STATECOLLEGE ON THE INTERNET FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FOLLOWING HAZARDS. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY. A SIGNIFICANT COLD OUTBREAK IS POSSIBLE NEXT WEEK. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. PAZ024-033-030630- CAMBRIA-SOMERSET- 116 AM EST THU JAN 2 2014 ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO MIDNIGHT EST TONIGHT... ...WIND CHILL ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 7 PM THIS EVENING TO NOON EST FRIDAY... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. PLEASE LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR GO TO WEATHER.GOV/STATECOLLEGE ON THE INTERNET FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FOLLOWING HAZARDS. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY. WIND CHILL ADVISORY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. PLEASE LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR GO TO WEATHER.GOV/STATECOLLEGE ON THE INTERNET FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FOLLOWING HAZARDS. WIND CHILL ADVISORY. A MORE SIGNIFICANT COLD OUTBREAK IS POSSIBLE NEXT WEEK. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. PAZ006-012-018-030630- POTTER-NORTHERN CLINTON-NORTHERN CENTRE- 116 AM EST THU JAN 2 2014 ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT EST TONIGHT... ...WIND CHILL ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO NOON EST FRIDAY... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. PLEASE LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR GO TO WEATHER.GOV/STATECOLLEGE ON THE INTERNET FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FOLLOWING HAZARDS. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY. WIND CHILL ADVISORY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. PLEASE LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR GO TO WEATHER.GOV/STATECOLLEGE ON THE INTERNET FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FOLLOWING HAZARDS. WIND CHILL ADVISORY. A MORE SIGNIFICANT COLD OUTBREAK IS POSSIBLE NEXT WEEK. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. DANGELO
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
6 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
A prolonged period of light to moderate snow produced general accumulations between 4 and 8 inches.
A prolonged period of light to moderate snow produced general accumulations between 4 and 8 inches.
A prolonged period of light to moderate snow produced general accumulations between 4 and 8 inches.
A prolonged period of light to moderate snow produced general accumulations between 4 and 8 inches.
A period of heavy snow during the late evening with occasional 1in/hr snowfall rates produced accumulations between 4 and 8 inches.
A period of heavy snow during the late evening with occasional 1in/hr snowfall rates produced accumulations between 4 and 8 inches.
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, January 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: 487252, 487253, 487254, 487255, 487258, 487259.