A winter storm produced widespread advisory-level snow across central Pennsylvania. The heaviest snow fell in Sullivan County, where 6 to 8 inches fell within a 12 hour period on February 4, 2018.
Every event with a place to put it; 1 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 winter storm produced widespread advisory-level snow across central Pennsylvania. The heaviest snow fell in Sullivan County, where 6 to 8 inches fell within a 12 hour period on February 4, 2018.
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, 2:14 AM EST, 2 hours 46 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service State College PA 214 AM EST Sun Feb 4 2018 .SYNOPSIS... A storm system will move north of the region Sunday dragging a cold front through the area later in the day and overnight. After a period of generally fair and colder weather for Monday into Tuesday, another surface low will track across the state Tuesday night and Wednesday. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 AM THIS MORNING/... Thickening clouds late this evening in broad region of warm advection in advance of low pressure over the Grt Lks. Main change this package was to speed arrival of snow. All near term models indicate we will see an area of light snow work into the central part of the state around 07Z-08Z associated with lead shortwave lifting out of the Tennessee Valley. A blend of latest model guidance suggests a coating to 2 inches of accum is likely across portions of the central mountains by dawn. Steady or slowly rising temps expected overnight, beneath thickening cloud cover and warm advection. Blended guidance indicates readings by dawn should be in the mid to upper 20s. && .SHORT TERM /6 AM THIS MORNING THROUGH 6 PM MONDAY/... Lead shortwave, over the southern plains at 03Z, will link up with Gulf of Mexico moisture tonight, resulting in a blossoming area of precip over the Tenn/Ohio valleys tonight. Latest guidance indicates this area of heavier precip will arrive over central Pa during Sunday afternoon. During the morning hours, model soundings support all snow across the entire forecast area, but rates should be relatively light due to an initially dry air mass and only modest large scale forcing. 00Z HREFV2 shows the main slug of precip surging through during the afternoon and early evening hours, at which time warmer air works into southern Pa. Model soundings support a fairly rapid change to rain across York/Lancaster counties, as the significant precip arrives early Sunday afternoon. Further north, the changeover will take longer, resulting in a period of mixed precip over the remainder of southern Pa. Model soundings and HREFV2 ptypes support all snow across the northern half of the forecast area, where mean qpf supports snowfall totals of 3-5 inches. HREFV2 indicating the possibility for a brief period of 1 inch/hr rates from the State College area northeast through the Williamsport area during mid to late afternoon, as deep moisture streams northward into Pa and jet entrance region sweeps across the area, providing enhanced forcing. Across the southern counties, model soundings indicate a fairly rapid changeover to mixed precip will hold snow amounts to between 1-2 inches. Bulk of precip should taper off between 22Z-02Z, as lead shortwave and associated coastal low pass off the coast. However, lingering snow showers and falling temperatures will result in possible travel disruptions lasting into Sunday night across the Alleghenies. && .LONG TERM /MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY/... After high pressure brings a period of quiet weather for much of Monday and Tuesday, a new low is forecast to take shape near Arkansas and move toward the region Tuesday night and Wednesday. The 12Z GFS may be the coldest of the deterministic models more or less cutting my CWA in half with snow indicated over the NW and rain or rain/snow over the SE. The ECENS is significantly warmer suggesting a storm track over my NWRN zones painting mainly rain for most of not all of CWA. This is pretty different than previous iterations of the forecast so I only gradually began to back off toward the warmer solution. Behind this system, a modified arctic airmass will enter the region under broad upper cyclonic flow. Below normal temperatures will return while we become vulnerable to weak shortwaves rippling through the pattern aloft into next weekend. && .AVIATION /06Z SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/... Complex winter wx/mixed precip event will impact the airspace with poor flying conditions expected into tonight. Generally speaking, expect snow to spread across the area this morning with mixing/changeover to sleet/freezing rain/rain across the southern 1/3 of the airspace in the afternoon. As precip winds down and mid-high level clouds peel off, there could be a lingering period of -dz or-fzdz during the evening/early tonight. Overall, high confidence in widespread MVFR to IFR today with gradual improving trend (MVFR to VFR) later tonight into early Monday morning as westerly flow kicks in with sfc gusts 20-25kts. Outlook... Mon...AM MVFR -shsn NW 1/3; VFR central-east. Tue...IFR possible N 1/2 in a period of -SN. Tue ngt-Wed...MVFR/IFR likely with snow and mixed pcpn. Thu...MVFR/-shsn NW 1/2. && .CTP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Winter Weather Advisory until 1 AM EST Monday for PAZ004>006- 010-011-017-024-033-037-042. Winter Weather Advisory until 7 PM EST this evening for PAZ012- 018-019-025>028-034>036-041-045-046-049>053-056>059-063-064. && SYNOPSIS...Fitzgerald/La Corte NEAR TERM...Fitzgerald SHORT TERM...Fitzgerald/La Corte LONG TERM...Lambert/Gartner AVIATION...Steinbugl
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service State College PA 404 AM EST Sun Feb 4 2018 PAZ004>006-010-011-017-037-050915- Warren-McKean-Potter-Elk-Cameron-Clearfield-Tioga- 404 AM EST Sun Feb 4 2018 ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 1 AM EST MONDAY... 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...Monday through Saturday. Low pressure developing over Texas on Tuesday will move northeast to the Mid Atlantic Region by late Wednesday, likely bringing snow Late Tuesday night and early Wednesday, with a possible changeover to mixed precipitation during the day Wednesday. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotters are encouraged to report significant hazardous weather. PAZ024-033-050915- Cambria-Somerset- 404 AM EST Sun Feb 4 2018 ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 1 AM EST MONDAY... 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...Monday through Saturday. Low pressure developing over Texas on Tuesday will move northeast to the Mid Atlantic Region by late Wednesday, likely bringing snow or mixed precipitation to the region late Tuesday night through Wednesday. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotters are encouraged to report significant hazardous weather. PAZ012-018-019-025>028-041-045-046-049>053-050915- Northern Clinton-Northern Centre-Southern Centre-Blair-Huntingdon- Mifflin-Juniata-Northern Lycoming-Southern Clinton-Southern Lycoming- Union-Snyder-Montour-Northumberland-Columbia- 404 AM EST Sun Feb 4 2018 ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM EST THIS EVENING... 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...Monday through Saturday. Low pressure developing over Texas on Tuesday will move northeast to the Mid Atlantic Region by late Wednesday, likely bringing snow or mixed precipitation to the region late Tuesday night through Wednesday. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotters are encouraged to report significant hazardous weather. PAZ034>036-056>059-063-064-050915- Bedford-Fulton-Franklin-Perry-Dauphin-Schuylkill-Lebanon-Cumberland- Adams- 404 AM EST Sun Feb 4 2018 ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM EST THIS EVENING... 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...Monday through Saturday. Low pressure developing over Texas on Tuesday will move northeast to the Mid Atlantic Region by late Wednesday, likely bringing a period of snow at the start late Tuesday night and early Wednesday, then a changeover to mixed precipitation or rain during the day Wednesday. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotters are encouraged to report significant hazardous weather. PAZ042-050915- Sullivan- 404 AM EST Sun Feb 4 2018 ...WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 1 AM EST MONDAY... 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...Monday through Saturday. Low pressure developing over Texas on Tuesday will move northeast to the Mid Atlantic Region by late Wednesday, likely bringing snow or mixed precipitation to the region late Tuesday night through Wednesday. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotters are encouraged to report significant hazardous weather. PAZ065-066-050915- York-Lancaster- 404 AM EST Sun Feb 4 2018 ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM EST THIS EVENING... 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...Monday through Saturday. Low pressure developing over Texas on Tuesday will move northeast to the Mid Atlantic Region by late Wednesday, likely bringing a period of snow at the start late Tuesday night, then a change to mixed precipitation or rain on Wednesday. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotters are encouraged to report significant hazardous weather. Lambert
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Snow accumulation of 6 to 8 inches were observed across the county.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Pennsylvania in 2018Every state in 2018This day in weather historyWarnings in Pennsylvania, February 2018
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: 729850.