Pennsylvania, 2025

Winter Weather in Pennsylvania, December 19, 2025

December 19, 2025 · NWS PBZ · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

A strong cold front dropped across the region during the morning hours, followed by strong cold advection. This resulted in strong winds and rapidly falling surface temperatures.

Where it happened

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.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
3

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 PBZ wrote it up.

A strong cold front dropped across the region during the morning hours, followed by strong cold advection. This resulted in strong winds and rapidly falling surface temperatures. This combined with shallow instability and saturation in the dendritic growth zone gave rise to conditions for possible snow squalls.

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 Pittsburgh, PA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 19, 12:18 PM EST, 2 hours 57 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 19, 12:18 PM EST, 2 hours 57 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Pittsburgh PA
1218 PM EST Fri Dec 19 2025

.SYNOPSIS...
Dropping temperatures in the wake of a cold front today.
Scattered snow showers expected through early Saturday. Wind
gusts will decrease after dark.

&&

.NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/...
KEY MESSAGES:

- Wind Advisory and High Wind Warning in effect til Midnight
- Snow showers expected
- Falling temperatures will create some slick spots this
  afternoon/tonight; SPS in effect
-----------------------------------------------------------

Temperatures have fallen sharply over the past 6 hours, dropping
from the mid-40s into the mid-20s in the wake of a passing cold
front. Rain showers earlier this morning have transitioned to
snow as cold air advection strengthens and moisture resides
within the dendritic growth zone. Pockets of shallow instability
may allow brief, heavier bursts of snow within showers,
temporarily reducing visibility and creating a quick coating on
surfaces. Upslope flow will support snowfall accumulations
exceeding one inch along the ridges, accompanied by blowing snow
late tonight.

A High Wind Warning and Wind Advisory will remain in effect
through midnight due to a tightened pressure gradient with this
system. A Special Weather Statement (SPS) is also in effect to
slick road conditions during the evening commute.

&&

.SHORT TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT/...
KEY MESSAGES:

- Dry weather and moderating temperature Saturday
- Pre-frontal shortwave expected Saturday night
- Passing cold front expected Sunday morning.
----------------------------------------------------------------

Dry and quiet weather expected Saturday. Temperatures will
climb to above average with warm advection from the southwest.

The shortwave trough will cross the area overnight Saturday into
Sunday along with a surface cold front. Current model analysis
suggests the frontal boundary is moisture starved and any
precipitation may be tied to some Lake Erie enhancement amid
cold advection and only impact northwest PA. Sunday morning
temperatures will be near or slightly above average with heavy
cloud coverage.

Quiet weather is expected Sunday into Sunday night as conditions
gradually clear.

&&

.LONG TERM /MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/...
KEY MESSAGES:

- Rain/snow chances Monday/Tuesday with warming temperatures.
- Warmer temperatures and rain chances on Christmas.
-------------------------------------------------------------------

There remains fairly high confidence in a warming trend into Monday
and Tuesday with ensuing upper ridging. All the while, there is
also confidence in a quick shortwave low passing to the north.
With a "most likely" onset time Monday night, there is a chance
precipitation begins as snow before warmer air changes over
chances to all rain by Tuesday. Chances of seeing any snow
accumulations are only 30% to 50% for the I-80 corridor for now
and less elsewhere. Chances or rain or liquid equivalent snow
have a >75% chance of being less than a quarter of an inch, so
no hydrologic impacts are expected. Any low probability scenario
of snow impacts would rely on an under- representation of
ridging and a more southern low track. At this time, this
remains very unlikely.

A brief pause in ridging is expected in wake of the low on
Wednesday. Temperatures are forecast similar to Tuesday
(slightly above average). Rain chances increase again into
Wednesday and Thursday (Christmas) with most ensembles hinting
the arrival of another shortwave, though timing and intensity of
this still remains low confidence in fairly progressive flow.
Most ensembles have the precipitation window sometime between
Christmas Eve and Christmas night with low QPF (less than 0.5
inches). What does remain high confidence, however, is that
Christmas Day will see temperatures around 15 degrees warmer
than normal. So, chances of a white Christmas seem null.

Forecast confidence breaks down into the new year, with most
ensembles showing a return to eastern troughing in response to a
west-central CONUS ridge (~50%). But a couple of other clusters
continue quasi-zonal flow in an active storm track (25%), while
other favor a continuation of eastern ridging (25%). This lack of
confidence in the long range pattern is reflected beyond the
forecasts period in the CPC 8-14 day and 3-4 week outlooks.

&&

.AVIATION /18Z FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/...
KEY MESSAGES:

- Snow showers through this evening; MVFR to IFR due to cigs/vis
- Gusty conditions continue through midnight
- VFR gradually returns to most areas over the weekend under
  building high pressure
------------------------------------------------------------

Snow showers will persist on and off through the day; MVFR to
IFR cigs/vis expected with boundary layer moisture and snow.

After 00Z, snow chances will decrease from west to east with a
building ridge. Wind gusts will also subside with a relaxed
pressure gradient. BVI/FKL/DUJ will likely hold on to MVFR to
IFR restrictions between 00Z to 06Z due to lingering snow
showers in close proximity to the lake.

Outlook...
Widespread VFR expected between 12Z to 00Z Saturday under high
pressure.

A passing shortwave Saturday night into early Sunday
could reduce cigs north of PIT briefly.

&&

.PBZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
PA...Wind Advisory until midnight EST tonight for PAZ074-076-078.
OH...None.
WV...Wind Advisory until midnight EST tonight for WVZ512-513.
     High Wind Warning until midnight EST tonight for WVZ514.

&&

SYNOPSIS...Hefferan
NEAR TERM...Hefferan
SHORT TERM...Hefferan
LONG TERM...Milcarek
AVIATION...Hefferan
Hazardous weather outlook, Dec 19, 1:25 AM EST, 13 hours 50 minutes before
Hazardous Weather Outlook
National Weather Service Pittsburgh PA
125 AM EST Fri Dec 19 2025

OHZ039>041-048>050-057>059-068-069-PAZ007>009-013>016-020>022-029-
031-073-075-077-WVZ001>004-012-021-509>511-201000-
Tuscarawas-Carroll-Columbiana-Coshocton-Harrison-Jefferson OH-
Muskingum-Guernsey-Belmont-Noble-Monroe-Mercer-Venango-Forest-
Lawrence-Butler-Clarion-Jefferson PA-Beaver-Allegheny-Armstrong-
Washington-Greene-Westmoreland-Fayette-Indiana-Hancock-Brooke-Ohio-
Marshall-Wetzel-Marion-Monongalia-
Ridges of Eastern Monongalia and Northwestern Preston-Preston-
125 AM EST Fri Dec 19 2025

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for east central Ohio, western
Pennsylvania, and northern West Virginia.

.DAY ONE...Today and tonight.

A crossing cold front creating a narrow band of showers early this
morning has a low probability of generating a brief gust to 50 mph.

Otherwise, west winds are expected to gust from 30 to 40 mph through
this evening before it subsides.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Saturday through Thursday.

No hazardous weather is expected at this time.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Weather spotters are encouraged to report significant weather
conditions according to Standard Operating Procedures.

WVZ513-201000-
Western Tucker-
125 AM EST Fri Dec 19 2025

...WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT EST TONIGHT...

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for northern West Virginia.

.DAY ONE...Today and tonight.

Please listen to NOAA Weather Radio or go to weather.gov on the
Internet for more information about the following hazards.

   Wind Advisory.

In addition, afternoon and evening snow showers may cause reduction
in visibilities and 1 to 2 inches of accumulation mainly on grassy
surfaces.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Saturday through Thursday.

No hazardous weather is expected at this time.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Weather spotters are encouraged to report significant weather
conditions according to Standard Operating Procedures.

PAZ074-076-078-WVZ512-201000-
Higher Elevations of Westmoreland-Higher Elevations of Fayette-
Higher Elevations of Indiana-Eastern Preston-
125 AM EST Fri Dec 19 2025

...WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT EST TONIGHT...

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for southwest Pennsylvania,
western Pennsylvania and northern West Virginia.

.DAY ONE...Today and tonight.

Please listen to NOAA Weather Radio or go to weather.gov on the
Internet for more information about the following hazards.

   Wind Advisory.

In addition, afternoon and evening snow showers may cause reduction
in visibilities and 1 to 2 inches of accumulation mainly on grassy
surfaces.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Saturday through Thursday.

No hazardous weather is expected at this time.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Weather spotters are encouraged to report significant weather
conditions according to Standard Operating Procedures.

WVZ514-201000-
Eastern Tucker-
125 AM EST Fri Dec 19 2025

...HIGH WIND WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT EST TONIGHT...

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for northern West Virginia.

.DAY ONE...Today and tonight.

Please listen to NOAA Weather Radio or go to weather.gov on the
Internet for more information about the following hazards.

   High Wind Warning.

In addition, snow showers this afternoon and evening may result in 1
to 2 inches of accumulation with localized spots around 3 inches.
Most accumulation will occur on grassy or elevated surfaces due to
warm, wet grounds. But falling temperature may still create slick
conditions while visibilities could fall below 1 mile due to the
combination of snow and wind.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Saturday through Thursday.

No hazardous weather is expected at this time.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Weather spotters are encouraged to report significant weather
conditions according to Standard Operating Procedures.

Frazier

In the hours before

Local storm report, Dec 19, 10:51 AM EST, 4 hours 24 minutes before
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Local storm report, Dec 19, 10:52 AM EST, 4 hours 23 minutes before
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Local storm report, Dec 19, 10:53 AM EST, 4 hours 22 minutes before
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Pittsburgh PA
1053 AM EST Fri Dec 19 2025

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

1026 AM     Non-Tstm Wnd Gst 2 SSW Lawson Heights    40.27N 79.40W
12/19/2025  M46 MPH          Westmoreland       PA   AWOS

            AWOS station KLBE Latrobe Airport.

&&

SKH
Local storm report, Dec 19, 11:30 AM EST, 3 hours 45 minutes before
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Pittsburgh PA
1130 AM EST Fri Dec 19 2025

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

1040 AM     Non-Tstm Wnd Gst 5 ENE Canaan Hgts       39.12N 79.34W
12/19/2025  M62 MPH          Tucker             WV   Mesonet

            Dolly Sods, WV; elevation 4,035ft.

&&

SKH
Local storm report, Dec 19, 11:31 AM EST, 3 hours 44 minutes before
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Pittsburgh PA
1131 AM EST Fri Dec 19 2025

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

1040 AM     Non-Tstm Wnd Gst 7 ESE Canaan Hgts       39.07N 79.30W
12/19/2025  M54 MPH          Tucker             WV   Public

            Bear Rocks, WV, elevation: 4,052ft.

&&

SKH
Local storm report, Dec 19, 1:34 PM EST, 1 hour 41 minutes before
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Pittsburgh PA
134 PM EST Fri Dec 19 2025

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

1110 AM     Non-Tstm Wnd Gst 5 E Canaan Hgts         39.11N 79.35W
12/19/2025  M68 MPH          Tucker             WV   Mesonet

            Mesonet station DY003 5 E Canaan Heights.
            Elevation 4035.0 ft.

&&

SKH

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Weather, Beaver

When
December 19, 3:15 PM EST
Where
Beaver forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
40.682, -80.349 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

One quarter mile visibility was observed at KBVI with gusts to 25 kts.

Winter Weather, Indiana County

When
December 19, 3:45 PM EST to 3:55 PM EST
Where
Indiana County forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
40.652, -79.087 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

KIDI reported winds gusting to 24 knots and quarter mile visibility.

Winter Weather, Venango

When
December 19, 4:00 PM EST
Where
Venango forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
41.401, -79.758 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

One quarter mile visibility was observed at KFKL.

What these are

Winter Weather
Snow, sleet or freezing rain below warning levels that still caused disruption, damage or casualties.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Pennsylvania in 2025Every state in 2025This day in weather historyWarnings in Pennsylvania, December 2025

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: 1299655, 1299647, 1299659.