A Nor'easter produced record-breaking snowfall across portions of southern Pennsylvania, with a large swath of 20+ inches of snow and localized areas of 30+ inches of accumulation. There was a sharp gradient in snowfall accumulation amounts from south to north across central Pennsylvania, with Harrisburg receiving two and a half feet of snow while Williamsport only had a trace.
Every event with a place to put it; 22 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 Nor'easter produced record-breaking snowfall across portions of southern Pennsylvania, with a large swath of 20+ inches of snow and localized areas of 30+ inches of accumulation. There was a sharp gradient in snowfall accumulation amounts from south to north across central Pennsylvania, with Harrisburg receiving two and a half feet of snow while Williamsport only had a trace. The storm was rated as a Category 4 (Crippling) on the Regional Snowfall Index for the northeastern United States. Four indirect fatalities resulted from the storm in the CTP CWA. PA Governor Wolf declared a Proclamation of Disaster Emergency for Winter Storm 1/22-24/16. There are ten counties with declarations Adams, Bedford, Blair, Cumberland, Lancaster, Lebanon, Perry, Schuylkill, and York.
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 22, 7:24 AM EST, 1 hour 36 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA 724 AM EST FRI JAN 22 2016 .SYNOPSIS... A MAJOR WINTER STORM WILL IMPACT SOUTH-CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA LATER FRIDAY INTO SATURDAY NIGHT. THE HEAVIEST SNOWFALL IS EXPECTED TO BE ACROSS SOUTHERN SECTIONS...ESPECIALLY FROM THE PENNSYLVANIA TURNPIKE TO THE MARYLAND BORDER. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 PM THIS EVENING/... 6 AM UPDATE... ONLY VERY MINOR TWEAKS TO NEAR TERM TEMPS/DEWPOINTS NECESSARY AT THIS TIME. FLURRIES DISSIPATING. ANTICIPATION HIGH. PREV... NORTHERLY FLOW OFF THE LOWER LAKES STILL PRODUCING WIDESPREAD FLURRIES ACROSS ALL OF THE NRN TIER AND EVEN OUT THE WINDOW AT 4 AM. HOWEVER...THE FLOW AT LOW LEVELS IS VEERING AND SHOULD PUSH THE HIGHER MOISTURE TO THE WEST. BUT THERE COULD STILL BE FLURRIES IN THE FAR NW THRU MUCH OF THE MORNING. OTHERWISE...THE HIGH CLOUDS MOVING IN FROM THE W/SW ARE ALMOST HERE. IT MIGHT BE TOUGH TO CALL IT PARTLY SUNNY BECAUSE THEY WILL BE THICKENING RATHER QUICKLY. ALL GUIDANCE BRINGS THE SNOW IN FROM THE SOUTH VERY LATE IN THE DAY. VERY DRY AIR IN PLACE WITH A 1F DEWPOINT IN SOMERSET AND 10-15F OVER MOST OF THE AREA. BY 21Z FLAKES WILL BE FLYING IN THE LAURELS AND SC MTNS...AND A DUSTING SHOULD BE DOWN AT SUNSET. FLURRIES MAKE IT TO RTE 22 BY 7PM...AND ACCUMS SHOULD BE UP TO THE TURNPIKE. LATEST TRENDS ARE NEUTRAL. GOOD CONTINUITY WITH PREV RUNS JUST REINFORCES THE GOING FORECAST. && .SHORT TERM /6 PM THIS EVENING THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT/... HAVE CHOSEN TO HOLD THE LINE ON ALL ACCUMS EXCEPT A NOTCH UP BY ABOUT 1 INCH IN THE MID SUSQ WHERE THE NAM AND WRF-ARW CONTINUE TO PUMP OUT MUCH HIGHER NUMBERS THAN MOST OF THE MODELS. THAT GIVES LOTS OF REASONS TO DISCOUNT THOSE OUTLIERS. HOWEVER...THESE ARE MESO MODELS WHICH MAY BE ABLE TO PICK UP/GENERATE MESOSCALE BANDING FEATURES BETTER THAN THE MORE-COARSE MODELS. INTERESTING NOTE IS THE NEAR-NESS OF THUNDER IN THE DAY2 OUTLOOK. THE ENERGETIC/DYNAMIC SYSTEM IS DOUBTLESSLY CAPABLE OF INTENSE BANDING AND SLANTWISE INSTABILITY...BUT SPC IS ALSO PINNING SOME VERTICAL INSTABILITY OVER SERN PA AS WELL. SO THUNDER-SNOW LOVERS...BE PREPARED TO GET YOUR CAMERA ROLLING. BUT WITH RATES OF 0.5-0.75 INCHES OF LIQUID PROGGED TO FALL INSIDE SHORT 3HR BLOCKS ACROSS THE SRN/SERN PARTS OF THE AREA IN THE MIDST OF THE STORM...WE WILL NEED VERY HIGH INSTABILITY TO REALIZE THOSE VALUES. FLAGS: HAVE CONVERTED ALL THE REMAINING WATCH AREAS TO WARNINGS AND ADDED A THIN STRIPE OF ADVY FROM STATE COLLEGE TO BERWICK. THIS WAS THE HARDEST PART OF THE FORECAST. WHILE SRN CAMBRIA MAY BE SHOVELING A FOOT OR MORE...IT MIGHT NOT SNOW 3-4 INCHES IN THE NORTHERN PART OF THE COUNTY. CLEARFIELD COUNTY IS SO LARGE AND THE EXPECTED TIGHT GRADIENT OF ABOUT 3-5 IN THE SOUTH AND JUST AN INCH IN THE CITIES /DUBOIS AND CLEARFIELD/ DOES NOT WARRANT AN ADVY FOR THE ENTIRE COUNTY. THE WHOLE ADVY AREA IS RATHER WEAK...EXCEPT COUNTING IN THE SEEMINGLY WILD NAM AND OTHER ARW COUSINS. IF THEY HAVE ANY MERIT AND THE BANDS WAGGLE NORTH A BIT AND LAY DOWN EVEN AN INCH MORE...THEN THE RELATIVELY SMALL COUNTIES IN THE MID-SUSQ WILL NEED AN ADVY OR...DARE I SAY IT...WARNING. AT THIS POINT...I-80 SEEMS TO BE A GOOD LINEAR/GEOGRAPHIC FEATURE FOR THE NORTHERN EXTENT OF ANY SIGNIFICANT/PLOWABLE SNOW. TIMING OF THE WWA FLAGS WAS STAGGERED FROM S-N ON THE START TIMES AND THEN FROM W-E FOR THE END TIMES TO GIVE SOME SPECIFICITY TO THE TIMES OF HEAVIEST SNOW. THE ENDING TIMES ARE BASED ON THE MULTI- MODEL CONSENSUS OF THE END OF MEAS QPF. THE WIND DOES SEEM TO BE A FACTOR IN THE EAST...WHERE SUSTAINED SPEEDS OF 15-20MPH AND GUSTS OF 25-30MPH WILL BE COMMON. THIS IS ONE REASON FOR PUTTING SCHUYLKILL CO INTO THE WARNING. THE ELEVATIONS THERE MAY ALSO ALLOW FOR MORE SNOW THAN CURRENTLY FCST. TALK OF BLIZZARD WARNING IS WARRANTED...BUT HAVE CHOSEN TO KEEP IT AT A WSW FOR NOW IN CLOSE COLLABORATION WITH OUR NEIGHBORING OFFICES. && .LONG TERM /SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/... IMPROVING CONDITIONS EXPECTED ON SUNDAY AS FOCUS SHIFTS TO STORM CLEAN UP WITH HIGH PRESSURE RETURNING TO THE AREA. A WARMING TREND IS FCST INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK WITH DAYTIME HIGHS NEAR TO ABOVE NORMAL FOR LATE JANUARY. A COLD FRONT TRAILING LOW PRESSURE TRACKING THRU THE GREAT LAKES WILL BRING THE NEXT CHANCE FOR LIGHT RAIN/SNOW MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY. SEASONABLY COLDER TEMPERATURES SHOULD FOLLOW INTO THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK. LATE WEEK MAY BRING ANOTHER SHOT AT SOME SNOWFALL...BUT PLENTY OF MODEL DIVERGENCE PRESENT AT THIS TIME. && .AVIATION /12Z FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/... FOR THE 22/12Z TAFS ISSUED 720 AM FRI JAN 22 2016 VFR CONDITIONS PREVAIL THROUGH THE AFTERNOON UNDER A THICKENING AND LOWERING HIGH-TO-MID CLOUD DECK. ONSET SNOW AROUND 00-03Z ACROSS THE SOUTHERN AIRFIELDS WITH HIGHEST CONFIDENCE IN IFR FROM JST/AOO TO MDT/LNS. UNV-IPT WILL BE ON NORTHERN EDGE OF SNOW THEREFORE CONFIDENCE IN IFR IS A BIT LOWER. BFD SHOULD STAY NORTH OF THE SNOW AND REMAIN MAINLY VFR. SNOW WILL BECOME HEAVY INTO EARLY SATURDAY MORNING ACROSS THE SOUTHERN TERMINALS...WITH LIFR/VLIFR CONDITIONS AT MDT/LNS DUE TO COMBO OF +SN AND 25-30KT WIND GUSTS FROM 020-050 DEGREES. OUTLOOK... SAT...SN CONTINUES ACROSS SOUTHERN AIRSPACE. LIFR/VLIFR LKLY AT MDT/LNS IN NEAR WHITEOUT CONDITIONS AT TIMES WITH SFC WIND GUSTS 25-30KTS FROM 030-060. MVFR TO VFR INTO THE NORTHERN AIRSPACE. SUN-MON...NO SIG WX EXPECTED. TUE...MVFR WEST/VFR CENTRAL AND EAST. SCATTERED RAIN/SNOW SHOWERS. && .CTP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER STORM WARNING FROM 7 PM THIS EVENING TO 7 AM EST SUNDAY FOR PAZ036-056>059-063>066. WINTER STORM WARNING FROM 7 PM THIS EVENING TO MIDNIGHT EST SATURDAY NIGHT FOR PAZ024>028-033>035. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO 6 PM EST SATURDAY FOR PAZ051>053. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 10 PM THIS EVENING TO 4 PM EST SATURDAY FOR PAZ019-049-050. && SYNOPSIS...DANGELO NEAR TERM...DANGELO SHORT TERM...DANGELO LONG TERM...RXR AVIATION...STEINBUGL
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA 404 AM EST FRI JAN 22 2016 PAZ024>028-033>035-230915- CAMBRIA-BLAIR-HUNTINGDON-MIFFLIN-JUNIATA-SOMERSET-BEDFORD-FULTON- 404 AM EST FRI JAN 22 2016 ...WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 7 PM THIS EVENING TO MIDNIGHT EST SATURDAY NIGHT... 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...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. 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. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. PAZ004>006-010>012-017-018-037-041-042-045-046-230915- WARREN-MCKEAN-POTTER-ELK-CAMERON-NORTHERN CLINTON-CLEARFIELD- NORTHERN CENTRE-TIOGA-NORTHERN LYCOMING-SULLIVAN-SOUTHERN CLINTON- SOUTHERN LYCOMING- 404 AM EST FRI JAN 22 2016 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED. PAZ036-056>059-063>066-230915- FRANKLIN-PERRY-DAUPHIN-SCHUYLKILL-LEBANON-CUMBERLAND-ADAMS-YORK- LANCASTER- 404 AM EST FRI JAN 22 2016 ...WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 7 PM THIS EVENING TO 7 AM EST SUNDAY... 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...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. 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. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. PAZ019-049-050-230915- SOUTHERN CENTRE-UNION-SNYDER- 404 AM EST FRI JAN 22 2016 ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 10 PM THIS EVENING TO 4 PM EST SATURDAY... 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 WEATHER ADVISORY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. 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. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. PAZ051>053-230915- MONTOUR-NORTHUMBERLAND-COLUMBIA- 404 AM EST FRI JAN 22 2016 ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO 6 PM EST SATURDAY... 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 WEATHER ADVISORY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. 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. .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.
22 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy snowfall amounts of 20 to 36 inches were observed across the county.
Heavy snowfall amounts of 16 to 30 inches were observed across the county.
Heavy snowfall amounts of 24 to 34 inches were observed across the county.
Heavy snowfall amounts of 22 to 33 inches were observed across the county.
Heavy snowfall amounts of 18 to 30 inches were observed across the county.
Heavy snowfall amounts of 21 to 28 inches were observed across the county, along with near-blizzard conditions. A 70-year old Willow Street man and a 76-year old Elizabethtown man died of cardiac arrest while clearing snow at their homes.
Heavy snowfall amounts of 25 to 32 inches were observed across the county, along with near-blizzard conditions.
Heavy snowfall amounts of 9 to 20 inches were observed from north to south across the county.
Heavy snowfall amounts of 7 to 20 inches were observed from north to south across the county.
Heavy snowfall amounts of 23 to 31 inches were observed across the county. A 66-year old Mount Holly Springs man died of hypothermia and heart disease in a snowbank outside of a store.
Heavy snowfall amounts of 19 to 31 inches were observed across the county. A Halifax man suffered cardiac arrest and died while shoveling snow.
Heavy snowfall amounts of 24 to 31 inches were observed across the county.
Heavy snowfall amounts of 21 to 26 inches were observed across the county.
Heavy snowfall amounts of 2 to 12 inches were observed from north to south across the county.
Heavy snowfall amounts of 5 to 21 inches were observed from north to south across the county.
Heavy snowfall amounts of 18 to 27 inches were observed across the county.
Heavy snowfall amounts of 12 to 18 inches were observed across the county.
Heavy snowfall amounts of 1 to 14 inches were observed from north to south across the county.
Heavy snowfall amounts of 14 to 23 inches were observed across the county.
Heavy snowfall amounts of 12 to 20 inches were observed across the county.
Heavy snowfall amounts of 4 to 10 inches were observed across southern Centre county.
Heavy snowfall amounts of 7 to 15 inches were observed across the county.
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, Lancaster | 2016-01-24 | 70 | Male | Permanent Home | Indirect |
| Winter Storm, Lancaster | 2016-01-24 | 76 | Male | Permanent Home | Indirect |
| Winter Storm, Cumberland | 2016-01-24 | 66 | Male | Outside/Open Areas | Indirect |
| Winter Storm, Dauphin | 2016-01-24 | Male | Outside/Open Areas | Indirect |
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Pennsylvania in 2016Every state in 2016This day in weather historyWarnings in Pennsylvania, January 2016
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: 609400, 609198, 609195, 609335, 609336, 609340, 609406, 609200, 609202, 609333, 609334, 609353, 609390, 609373, 609385, 609394, 609397, 609203, 609338, 609367, 609403, 609405.