Lake-Effect Snow in Pennsylvania, November 19 to 20, 2016

Name: Lake-Effect Snow in Pennsylvania, November 19 to 20, 2016
Start: 2016-11-19T19:00
End: 2016-11-20T21:00
Location: Pennsylvania

November 19 to 20, 2016 · NWS CLE · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

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.

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $300,000
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.

Unusually cold northwest winds blowing across Lake Erie caused lake effect snow showers to develop during the evening of the 19th. The snow showers picked up in intensity during the early morning hours of the 20th. Snowfall rates were in excess of an inch per hour at times. Westerly winds gusted to as much as 35 mph during this event causing much blowing and drifting. Visibilities in the heavier squalls were near zero. The snow showers began to taper off late in the evening of the 20th. The heaviest snow fell over eastern Erie and Crawford Counties. In Erie County a peak total of 17.5 inches was reported at Cory. In Crawford County, a peak of 15.0 inches was measured at Centerville with 13.1 inches at Canadohta Lake, 9.0 inches at Titusville and 8.0 inches at Meadville. For most areas this was the first significant snow of the season. Some accidents were reported.

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 Nov 19, 6:24 PM EST, 36 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Nov 19, 6:24 PM EST, 36 minutes before

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In the hours before

Local storm report, Nov 19, 2:21 PM EST, 4 hours 39 minutes before

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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: November 19, 7:00 PM EST to November 20, 6:00 PM EST
Where: Crawford forecast zone
Property damage: $150,000
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 41.685, -80.106 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Unusually cold northwest winds blowing across Lake Erie caused lake effect snow showers to develop during the evening of the 19th. The snow showers picked up in intensity during the early morning hours of the 20th. Snowfall rates were in excess of an inch per hour at times. Westerly winds gusted to as much as 35 mph during this event causing much blowing and drifting. Visibilities in the heavier squalls were near zero. The snow showers began to taper off late in the evening of the 20th. In Crawford County, a peak of 15.0 inches was measured at Centerville with 13.1 inches at Canadohta Lake, 9.0 inches at Titusville and 8.0 inches at Meadville. For most areas this was the first significant snow of the season. Some accidents were reported.

Lake-Effect Snow, Southern Erie

When: November 19, 7:00 PM EST to November 20, 9:00 PM EST
Where: Southern Erie forecast zone
Property damage: $150,000
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 42.118, -80.098 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Unusually cold northwest winds blowing across Lake Erie caused lake effect snow showers to develop during the evening of the 19th. The snow showers picked up in intensity during the early morning hours of the 20th. Snowfall rates were in excess of an inch per hour at times. Westerly winds gusted to as much as 35 mph during this event causing much blowing and drifting. Visibilities in the heavier squalls were near zero. The snow showers began to taper off late in the evening of the 20th. The heaviest snow fell over eastern Erie County with a peak total of 17.5 inches reported at Cory and 8.0 inches at Amity Township. Some accidents were reported.

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

Every storm in Pennsylvania in 2016 Every state in 2016 This day in weather history Warnings in Pennsylvania, November 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: 665834, 665835.