Pennsylvania, 2016

Lake-Effect Snow in Pennsylvania, January 11 to 13, 2016

January 11 to 13, 2016 · NWS CLE · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

A very deep area of low pressure passed to the north of Lake Erie during the morning hours of January 12th. Snow associated with this low began during the late evening hours of the 11th and then transitioned to lake effect snow on the 12th as cold northwest winds on the backside of the low interacted with Lake Erie.

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
$400,000
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.

A very deep area of low pressure passed to the north of Lake Erie during the morning hours of January 12th. Snow associated with this low began during the late evening hours of the 11th and then transitioned to lake effect snow on the 12th as cold northwest winds on the backside of the low interacted with Lake Erie. The snow showers intensified during the afternoon of the 12th with snowfall rates in excess of an inch per hour at times. The snow began to diminish during the early morning hours of the 13th and finally ended during the afternoon. Strong westerly winds accompanied the snow on the 12th causing much blowing and drifting and whiteout conditions at times. Peak wind gusts approached 40 mph and sustained winds most of this event were between 15 and 25 mph. A swath of heavy snow was reported from inland northeast Ohio into Erie and Crawford Counties. Lesser amounts of snow fell closer to the lake. Although the strong winds made measuring snow difficult, storm totals of more than a foot were reported over inland Erie County and northern Crawford County. A peak total of 21.8 was measured near Canadohta Lake in Crawford County with a peak of 14.5 inches in Erie County at Corry. Travel was difficult during this event and many schools were closed on the 12th.

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 Jan 11, 10:15 PM EST, 45 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 11, 10:15 PM EST, 45 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 11, 4:19 PM EST, 6 hours 41 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CLEVELAND OH
419 PM EST MON JAN 11 2016

PAZ001-002-122130-
NORTHERN ERIE-SOUTHERN ERIE-
419 PM EST MON JAN 11 2016

...LAKE EFFECT SNOW WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 3 AM TUESDAY TO 3 PM EST
WEDNESDAY...

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHWEST PENNSYLVANIA.

.DAY ONE...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.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY.

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>011-017>023-027>033-036>038-047-122130-
LUCAS-WOOD-OTTAWA-SANDUSKY-ERIE OH-LORAIN-CUYAHOGA-HANCOCK-SENECA-
HURON-MEDINA-SUMMIT-PORTAGE-TRUMBULL-WYANDOT-CRAWFORD-RICHLAND-
ASHLAND-WAYNE-STARK-MAHONING-MARION-MORROW-HOLMES-KNOX-
419 PM EST MON JAN 11 2016

...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 3 AM TO NOON EST TUESDAY...

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

.DAY ONE...TONIGHT.

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

   WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY.

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

   WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

OHZ012>014-089-PAZ003-122130-
LAKE-GEAUGA-ASHTABULA INLAND-ASHTABULA LAKESHORE-CRAWFORD PA-
419 PM EST MON JAN 11 2016

...LAKE EFFECT SNOW ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 3 AM TUESDAY TO 8 AM EST
WEDNESDAY...

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

.DAY ONE...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 ADVISORY.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY.

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

   LAKE EFFECT SNOW ADVISORY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

LEZ142>144-162>164-122130-
MAUMEE BAY TO RENO BEACH OH-RENO BEACH TO THE ISLANDS OH-
THE ISLANDS TO VERMILION OH-
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-
419 PM EST MON JAN 11 2016

...GALE WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 7 AM TO 10 PM EST TUESDAY...
...LOW WATER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 10 AM TUESDAY TO 4 AM EST
WEDNESDAY...

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR LAKE ERIE.

.DAY ONE...TONIGHT.

HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY.

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

   GALE WARNING.
   LOW WATER ADVISORY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

LEZ061-145>149-165>169-122130-
LAKE ERIE OPEN WATERS FROM RIPLEY TO BUFFALO NY-
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 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-
419 PM EST MON JAN 11 2016

...GALE WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 10 AM TUESDAY TO 4 AM EST WEDNESDAY...

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR LAKE ERIE.

.DAY ONE...TONIGHT.

HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY.

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

   GALE WARNING.

.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
January 11, 11:00 PM EST to January 13, 4:00 PM EST
Where
Crawford forecast zone
Property damage
$200,000
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
41.685, -80.106 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A very deep area of low pressure passed to the north of Lake Erie during the morning hours of January 12th. Snow associated with this low began during the late evening hours of the 11th and then transitioned to lake effect snow on the 12th as cold northwest winds on the backside of the low interacted with Lake Erie. The snow showers intensified during the afternoon of the 12th with snowfall rates in excess of an inch per hour at times. The snow began to diminish during the early morning hours of the 13th and finally ended during the afternoon. Strong westerly winds accompanied the snow on the 12th causing much blowing and drifting and whiteout conditions at times. Peak wind gusts approached 40 mph and sustained winds most of this event were between 15 and 25 mph. A swath of heavy snow was reported from inland northeast Ohio into Erie and Crawford Counties. Lesser amounts of snow fell closer to the lake. Although the strong winds made measuring snow difficult, storm totals of more than a foot were reported over inland Erie County and northern Crawford County. A peak total of 21.8 was measured near Canadohta Lake in Crawford County. Travel was difficult during this event and many schools were closed on the 12th.

Lake-Effect Snow, Southern Erie

When
January 11, 11:00 PM EST to January 13, 4:00 PM EST
Where
Southern Erie forecast zone
Property damage
$200,000
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
42.118, -80.098 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A very deep area of low pressure passed to the north of Lake Erie during the morning hours of January 12th. Snow associated with this low began during the late evening hours of the 11th and then transitioned to lake effect snow on the 12th as cold northwest winds on the backside of the low interacted with Lake Erie. The snow showers intensified during the afternoon of the 12th with snowfall rates in excess of an inch per hour at times. The snow began to diminish during the early morning hours of the 13th and finally ended during the afternoon. Strong westerly winds accompanied the snow on the 12th causing much blowing and drifting and whiteout conditions at times. Peak wind gusts approached 40 mph and sustained winds most of this event were between 15 and 25 mph. A swath of heavy snow was reported from inland northeast Ohio into Erie and Crawford Counties. Lesser amounts of snow fell closer to the lake. Although the strong winds made measuring snow difficult, storm totals of more than a foot were reported over inland Erie County and northern Crawford County. A peak total of 14.5 inches was measured in Erie County at Corry. Travel was difficult during this event and many schools were closed on the 12th.

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

More

Every storm in Pennsylvania in 2016Every state in 2016This day in weather historyWarnings in Pennsylvania, January 2016

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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 615530, 615531.