Elevated wind gusts, due to wave activity, and a lingering cold air mass (850mb temps dropped below -18 Celsius) created dangerous wind chill temperatures in the ridges of eastern Tucker.
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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 PBZ wrote it up.
Elevated wind gusts, due to wave activity, and a lingering cold air mass (850mb temps dropped below -18 Celsius) created dangerous wind chill temperatures in the ridges of eastern Tucker.
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 Pittsburgh, PA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 3, 9:12 PM EST, 48 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Pittsburgh PA 912 PM EST Fri Feb 3 2023 .SYNOPSIS... Isolated snow showers will weaken with a building ridge from the west. Wind chill values overnight into early Saturday morning have prompted headlines for portions of the region. Warmer and dry weather is expected to return Sunday. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH SATURDAY/... GOES-16 Nighttime Microphysics RGB channel, along with radar, depicts lake effect snow showers north of I-80 and a narrow weak snow band extending through Lawrence/Butler/northern Westmoreland county. Based on sfc wind obs and the placement of a building ridge to the west, enhanced low-level convergence within the boundary layer is allow a single narrow snow band to venture further inland from Lake Erie. Based on Hi-res model guidance, snow shower activity should diminish after 05Z as winds shift from the west and we lose the influence of Lake Erie moisture. Clear conditions, under an Arctic cold airmass (850mb temp from the PIT 00Z measured -21.8 degrees Celsius), will allow early Saturday morning temperatures to stay in the single digits across the region. Wind gusts should subside after dawn with a weakening pressure gradient. However, a Wind Chill Advisory for portions of the region (mainly the ridges) will continue through 12Z with forecasted values ranging between 10 below to 20 below. By Saturday afternoon, high pressure will reposition over the mid-Atlantic, fostering warm advection within southwest flow. Temperatures will likely continue to be 5 degrees below seasonal averages. However, a significant improvement to the afternoon average high temperature will likely shift by 25 degrees. && .SHORT TERM /SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT/... The next shortwave trough will approach and pass north of the region through the day Sunday, but meager moisture and limited lift will keep late-day precipitation chances low and focused north and east of Pittsburgh. A period of SW flow ahead of the system (and weak sfc cold front) will continue the area warming trend, with high temperatures 5 to 10 degrees above seasonal averages. High pressure will quickly return with upper ridging Monday as the trough shifts towards the east coast. Residual cold advection behind the sfc cold front will result in a slightly cooler but still above normal temperature for Monday. && .LONG TERM /TUESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/... Warm advection will return Tuesday as southwest flow strengthens ahead of a northern stream upper trough. Precipitation appears likely to return to the region late in the day ahead of a surface cold front. However, ensembles suggest it will likely be decaying as upper forcing is deflected farther north by the far SE CONUS ridge, meaning precipitation chances will lessen into Wednesday as the front washes out. Expect well above normal temperature ahead of the front with likely little change in airmass after it passes/stalls. The late Tuesday into late week period remains in flux as it will be dependent on the eventual northeast lifting of a deep trough that will develop around the Four Corners region. The trend pushes its Upper Ohio River Valley impact towards the late week time frame, but potential precipitation could arrive as early as Wednesday. There is a high probability for widespread rain as temperature remains above normal through this period, with timing of the onset/ending of the precipitation one of the more uncertain components. && .AVIATION /02Z SATURDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... Dry air in the low levels has returned all ports to VFR with scattered to clear skies for the southern ports, and slightly higher coverage with lake influence for DUJ and FKL. This will continue overnight. With the rapid approach of a surface high, winds will be quick to diminish early in the TAF period. Light backing winds overnight will reintroduce southerly flow tomorrow on the backside of a surface high. Wind shear was noted towards the end of the period overnight tomorrow as a pressure gradient tightens in decoupled near- surface conditions. .OUTLOOK... VFR will likely prevail through the weekend. Possible restriction in rain and snow showers are expected with a crossing trough early Monday, though long range models suggest limited moisture with this shortwave, mainly progged north along the I-80 corridor. && .PBZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... PA...Wind Chill Advisory until 7 AM EST Saturday for PAZ009-074-076. OH...None. WV...Wind Chill Advisory until 7 AM EST Saturday for WVZ512-514. && SYNOPSIS...Hefferan NEAR TERM...Hefferan SHORT TERM...50 LONG TERM...50 AVIATION...Milcarek
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Pittsburgh PA 1222 PM EST Fri Feb 3 2023 OHZ039>041-048>050-057>059-068-069-PAZ013-014-020>022-029-031-073- 075-WVZ001>004-012-021-509-041730- Tuscarawas-Carroll-Columbiana-Coshocton-Harrison-Jefferson OH- Muskingum-Guernsey-Belmont-Noble-Monroe-Lawrence-Butler-Beaver- Allegheny-Armstrong-Washington-Greene-Westmoreland-Fayette-Hancock- Brooke-Ohio-Marshall-Wetzel-Marion-Monongalia- 1222 PM EST Fri Feb 3 2023 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for east central Ohio, southwest Pennsylvania, western Pennsylvania, and northern West Virginia. .DAY ONE...This afternoon and tonight. No hazardous weather is expected at this time. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Saturday through Thursday. No hazardous weather is expected at this time. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not expected at this time. PAZ009-074-076-WVZ512-041730- Forest-Higher Elevations of Westmoreland- Higher Elevations of Fayette-Eastern Preston- 1222 PM EST Fri Feb 3 2023 ...WIND CHILL ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 7 PM THIS EVENING TO 7 AM EST SATURDAY... This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for northwest Pennsylvania, southwest Pennsylvania and northern West Virginia. .DAY ONE...This afternoon and tonight. Please listen to NOAA Weather Radio or go to weather.gov on the Internet for more information about the following hazards. Wind Chill Advisory. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Saturday through Thursday. Please listen to NOAA Weather Radio or go to weather.gov on the Internet for more information about the following hazards. Wind Chill Advisory. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not expected at this time. PAZ007-008-015-016-023-WVZ510-511-513-041730- Mercer-Venango-Clarion-Jefferson PA-Indiana- Ridges of Eastern Monongalia and Northwestern Preston-Preston- Western Tucker- 1222 PM EST Fri Feb 3 2023 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for northwest Pennsylvania, western Pennsylvania and northern West Virginia. .DAY ONE...This afternoon and tonight. Single digit to negative wind chills are likely, peaking in lowest values late this afternoon into tonight. If confidence increases that values will drop under 10 below degrees rather than approach, a Wind Chill Advisory may be needed. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Saturday through Thursday. Hazardous weather is not expected at this time. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not expected at this time. WVZ514-041730- Eastern Tucker- 1222 PM EST Fri Feb 3 2023 ...WIND CHILL ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 AM EST SATURDAY... This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for northern West Virginia. .DAY ONE...This afternoon and tonight. Please listen to NOAA Weather Radio or go to weather.gov on the Internet for more information about the following hazards. Wind Chill Advisory. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Saturday through Thursday. Please listen to NOAA Weather Radio or go to weather.gov on the Internet for more information about the following hazards. Wind Chill Advisory. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not expected at this time.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.
Wind chill as low as -26F was measured in the ridges of eastern Tucker County on the night of February 3rd.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in West Virginia in 2023Every state in 2023This day in weather historyWarnings in West Virginia, 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: 1082033.