Lake-Effect Snow — Northern Erie, Pennsylvania

2022-11-18 · Northern Erie, Pennsylvania

Event narrative

Southwesterly winds were initially carrying an intense band of lake effect snow towards Buffalo, NY, but briefly shifted more westerly during the afternoon and early evening hours of November 18th. This pushed heavy snow onshore into northern Erie County Pennsylvania for several hours. Accumulating snow began in the mid afternoon hours and was done by the late evening hours, with the heaviest snow occurring in a short window during the late afternoon and early evening. Snow rates of 1 to 2 inches per hour occurred at times. These heavy snowfall rates led to very low visibility and hazardous road conditions and vehicle accidents. In Fairview Township, an injury was reported when a passenger car struck a snow plow. The greatest snowfall from this event was 10' measured in the city of Erie by a trained spotter. Other select reports include trained spotters measuring 7.5' in Harborcreek and 4.5' in Girard.

Wider weather episode

Southwesterly winds were initially carrying an intense band of lake effect snow towards Buffalo, NY, but briefly shifted more westerly during the afternoon and early evening hours of November 18th. This pushed heavy snow onshore into northern Erie County Pennsylvania for several hours. Accumulating snow began in the mid afternoon hours and was done by the late evening hours, with the heaviest snow occurring in a short window during the late afternoon and early evening. Snow rates of 1 to 2 inches per hour occurred at times. These heavy snowfall rates led to very low visibility and hazardous road conditions. The greatest snowfall from this event was 10' measured in the city of Erie by a trained spotter. Other select reports include trained spotters measured 9.8' in North East Township, 9' in Greenfield Township, and 7.5' in Harborcreek.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1073138. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.