Lake-Effect Snow — Crawford, Pennsylvania

2025-01-03 to 2025-01-04 · Crawford, Pennsylvania

Event narrative

Behind a cold front that crossed early in the morning on January 3, 2025, west-northwest winds ushered in colder air across Lake Erie, setting up another round of lake effect snow showers and squalls across Northwest Pennsylvania. The lake effect activity was most intense from late morning through the evening on January 3rd, with activity gradually winding down on January 4th and tapering to flurries or light snow showers January 4th into January 5th. Event total accumulations reached heavy snow criteria across the area, which along with wind gusts of 20 to 30 MPH led to a prolonged period of poor travel conditions due to periods of reduced visibility and snow-covered roads. The heaviest snow and worst travel conditions occurred during the day and early evening on January 3rd. Selected reports from trained spotters, covering snow that fell from the early morning on the 3rd through midday on the 4th, include: 14.4 inches in Greenwood Township, 11.1 inches in Venango Township, 9.6 inches in Cochranton, and 9.1 inches near Meadville. A Cooperative Observer near Springboro measured 10.8 inches of snow.

Wider weather episode

Behind a cold front that crossed early in the morning on January 3, 2025, west-northwest winds ushered in colder air across Lake Erie, setting up another round of lake effect snow showers and squalls across Northwest Pennsylvania. The lake effect activity was most intense from late morning through the evening on January 3rd, with activity gradually winding down on January 4th and tapering to flurries or light snow showers January 4th into January 5th. Event total accumulations reached heavy snow criteria across inland Northwest Pennsylvania, which along with wind gusts of 20 to 30 MPH led to a prolonged period of poor travel conditions due to periods of reduced visibility and snow-covered roads. A peak snowfall of 14.4 inches was measured by a trained spotter in Greenwood Township, with a Co-op Observer near Springboro measuring 10.8 inches. A CoCoRaHS observer in Corry recorded 10.9 inches of snow, with 9.5 inches measured by a spotter in Edinboro.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1267292. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.