Lake-Effect Snow — Northern Erie, Pennsylvania

2025-01-13 to 2025-01-15 · Northern Erie, Pennsylvania

Event narrative

A trough of surface low pressure was draped west to east across the southern Great Lakes January 14th and 15th, with cold west-northwest winds wrapping around this trough and over Lake Erie. This set the stage for a period of moderate to heavy lake effect snow into Erie County. The heaviest accumulations occurred during the afternoon and evening hours of the 14th, when a west to east oriented band of snow pushed off of Lake Erie with snow rates briefly in excess of one inch per hour. These snow rates led to reduced visibility and snow-covered roads, hampering travel. Snow continued through January 15th, though gradually lessened in intensity. Select trained spotter snowfall reports include 13 inches in North East, 10 inches in Northwest Harborcreek, and 7.2 inches at Erie International Airport.

Wider weather episode

A trough of surface low pressure was draped west to east across the southern Great Lakes January 14th and 15th, with cold west-northwest winds wrapping around this trough and over Lake Erie. This set the stage for a period of moderate to heavy lake effect snow into parts of Northwest PA. The heaviest accumulations occurred during the afternoon and evening hours of the 14th, when a west to east oriented band of snow pushed off of Lake Erie with snow rates briefly in excess of one inch per hour. Snow continued through January 15th, though gradually lessened in intensity. Select trained spotter snowfall reports include 15 inches in Greene Township, 14 inches in Union City and Millcreek, 13 inches in North East and 12 inches in Edinboro.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1267295. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.