A shield of light rain associated with warm advection pushed across central Pennsylvania during the early morning hours of February 9, 2023. Temperatures were just cold enough in some locations north of I-80 for patchy light freezing rain at the onset of the precipitation.
Every event with a place to put it; 3 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 shield of light rain associated with warm advection pushed across central Pennsylvania during the early morning hours of February 9, 2023. Temperatures were just cold enough in some locations north of I-80 for patchy light freezing rain at the onset of the precipitation. This produced just enough of an icy glaze in some locations for a handful of accidents across Tioga, Lycoming, and Sullivan counties.
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 9, 5:22 AM EST, 1 hour 1 minute earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service State College PA 522 AM EST Thu Feb 9 2023 .SYNOPSIS... The low pressure center of a mature cyclone will cross the Upper Great Lakes later today and move into Quebec by Friday morning. The cold front of this system will cross the area this evening and early tonight. Gusty winds will usher in a brief and modest cool down to start the weekend. A coastal storm may brush the southeast part of PA with light rain on Sunday or Sunday night. The temperatures will bounce right back to well above normal for all of next week. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... Rain has spread across all of the northern half of the area with just a brief spot of light rain expected in the south over the next few hours. The temps and especially road temps are still AOB freezing in spots across the NE. However, the rain falling down from a much-warmer level will bring temps up above freezing and end the threat of ZR shortly. We should be able to knock off the rest of the winter weather advy for ZR just after sunrise. The best lift remains north of I-80 through the day, and only spotty showers are expected for the south. Can't totally remove the chc of a shower. But, most places in the southern half of the CWA will be dry this aftn. The wind will gradually rise this aftn, but not really get gusty until the occluded front/triple point low pass over. This should occur late in the day or early evening in the west and by midnight in the SE. BUFKIT soundings indicate 50+KT winds at the top of the mixed layer over the NWrn half of the area tonight. Model gusts are less drastic, but collaboration with surrounding offices has led to a solution of gusts between 40-45KTs over the Alleghenies. This has bumped the Nrn mtns to a wind advy running for the same time as the previously issue advy for the Laurel Highlands. The rest of the area will see gusts into the 30s tonight. Temps likely peak right before the front moves thru. Dewpoints rise to between 45-50F for most places this evening. There is a small chc of TS over the far NW, but we'll leave it out after collab with the neighbors. Post-frontal showers will mix with or even turn to all snow late tonight over the far NW. Temps will stay above freezing, though, so no accums are expected overnight. Well- above normal mins are expected everywhere as the airmass behind the front is a mix of warm and cool air masses (occlusion). && .SHORT TERM /FRIDAY THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT/... Temps do rise a little for the NW on Friday, and the lingering NW flow will generate showers all day. There could be a coating of snow on mulch and garbage can lids, but the ground is still warm-ish and air temps will be at or above freezing all day. The rest of the area will have a good downslope and a slow diminishing of the wind as the gradient relaxes some. The mixed showers will go to all snow Fri night. But, little or no accums are expected. Someone in the snow belt or on top of Laurel Ridge or Cresson Mtn could get a thin coating by Sat AM. Maxes Fri will be well above normal...again (4-12F above). Mins Fri night will be 8-12F above normal, too. The calendar says February, but... && .LONG TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... All medium range guidance supports fair and mild weather Saturday, as upper trough passes east and surface high builds in from the Grt Lks. Focus then shifts to cut off upper low over the southeast CONUS, which is progged to drift off of the southeast coast by Sunday night. The bulk of latest guidance grazes southeast Pa with the northern edge of the precipitation shield Sunday PM, with a few northern outliers among the EC ensemble members drawing precip to the I-80 corridor. Current NBM POPs of ranging from <10 pct over the north, to 50pct over southeast Pa seem reasonable based on the ensemble plumes. The slow movement of this system and an abundance of Atlantic moisture could produce a significant amount of precipitation over some part of the Mid Atlantic with a sharp northern edge due to high pressure/dry air parked just to the north. As for ptype, can't rule out some snow if the northern edge of the precip shield got to Pa, but model thermal profiles indicate rain would be more likely. Confidence in fair and mild weather is high for Monday, with all guidance indicating upper level ridging behind exiting low off the east coast. The operational EC/Canadian both indicate the chance for a round of rain/snow showers associated with a cold front passage Monday night/early Tuesday. However, the ECENS and GEFS both advertise a much weaker shortwave with an associated cold front that washes out upon reaching Pa. Thus. the current forecast favors fair and unseasonably warm conditions into Tuesday. There is decent agreement among medium range guidance that a southern stream shortwave and associated surface low will track west of Pa Tuesday night/Wednesday, potentially spreading rain showers into the area. && .AVIATION /10Z THURSDAY THROUGH MONDAY/... Lowering ceilings are expected overnight with some light rain showers moving in from southwest to northeast before daybreak. The best chance for MVFR restrictions is across the northern airfields where precipitation will be most widespread. IFR conditions are unlikely at this time, but possible in the vicinity of BFD. Most of the late morning and early afternoon will be dry, before rain showers develop out ahead of the approaching cold front later Thu afternoon and evening. Southeastern airfields will be dry for much of the day. LLWS will be present for much of Thursday, though the core the strongest winds aloft moves north over the Penn/Ohio border. Gradual improvement is expected Thursday night as winds become gusty and turn out of the northwest. Outlook... Fri...Sub-VFR cigs possible N/W mtns. Sfc wind gusts 20-25kts from ~270-330 deg. Sat...Sub-VFR cigs/vis possible N/W. Sfc wind gusts 20kts from 300-330 deg. Sun-Mon...VFR/no sig wx. && .CTP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Wind Advisory from 4 PM this afternoon to 8 AM EST Friday for PAZ004>006-010-011-017-024-025-033-034. Winter Weather Advisory until 6 AM EST early this morning for PAZ006-011-012. Winter Weather Advisory until 9 AM EST this morning for PAZ037- 041-042. && SYNOPSIS...Dangelo NEAR TERM...Dangelo SHORT TERM...Dangelo LONG TERM...Fitzgerald AVIATION...Colbert/Banghoff
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service State College PA 604 AM EST Thu Feb 9 2023 PAZ012-018-019-026>028-035-036-045-046-049>053-056>059-063>066- 101115- Northern Clinton-Northern Centre-Southern Centre-Huntingdon-Mifflin- Juniata-Fulton-Franklin-Southern Clinton-Southern Lycoming-Union- Snyder-Montour-Northumberland-Columbia-Perry-Dauphin-Schuylkill- Lebanon-Cumberland-Adams-York-Lancaster- 604 AM EST Thu Feb 9 2023 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...Friday through Wednesday. The probability for widespread hazardous weather is low. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not expected at this time. PAZ037-041-042-101115- Tioga-Northern Lycoming-Sullivan- 604 AM EST Thu Feb 9 2023 ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 AM EST THIS MORNING... 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...Friday through Wednesday. The probability for widespread hazardous weather is low. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotters are encouraged to report significant hazardous weather. PAZ004>006-010-011-017-024-025-033-034-101115- Warren-McKean-Potter-Elk-Cameron-Clearfield-Cambria-Blair-Somerset- Bedford- 604 AM EST Thu Feb 9 2023 ...WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 4 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 8 AM EST FRIDAY... 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. Wind Advisory. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Friday through Wednesday. Please listen to NOAA Weather Radio or go to weather.gov/StateCollege on the internet for more information about the following hazards. Wind Advisory. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotters are encouraged to report significant hazardous weather.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.
Light freezing rain produced just enough of an icy glaze for multiple accidents to occur on US Route 220 in Hughesville borough. The road was closed in both directions for just under an hour and a half while PennDOT treated it.
Light freezing rain produced just enough of an icy glaze for multiple accidents to occur on PA Route 42 in Davidson Township. The road was closed for just under an hour and a half while PennDOT treated it.
Light freezing rain produced just enough of an icy glaze for an accident between a PennDOT plow truck and a straight truck, closing PA Route 287 between Broughton Hollow and Lindquist Roads in Delmar Township for nearly two hours.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Pennsylvania in 2023Every state in 2023This day in weather historyWarnings in Pennsylvania, February 2023
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: 1068657, 1068658, 1068664.