Winter Storm — Southern Clinton, Pennsylvania

2013-12-14 to 2013-12-15 · Southern Clinton, Pennsylvania

Event narrative

Light snow started in the morning and became heavy at times through the afternoon and evening. Snow changed to sleet and then freezing rain/drizzle with a glaze of ice topping storm total snow accumulations between 4 and 8 inches.

Wider weather episode

A complex low pressure system with energy transferring from the Ohio Valley across the Central Appalachians to the Mid-Atlantic coast produced widespread snow accumulations in excess of 6 inches over much of central Pennsylvania. The snow overspread the area from southwest to northeast and became heavy at times during the afternoon and early evening, with snowfall rates between 1 and locally 2 inches per hour. By late in the evening, strong low-level warm advection resulted in above freezing temperatures aloft and caused a changeover from snow to sleet and freezing rain, with significant ice accretions observed in the Lower Susquehanna Valley. The wintry precipitation tapered off to light snow and freezing drizzle around midnight in most locations. The heavy snow topped by a layer of ice sponsored dangerous travel conditions with numerous vehicle accidents involving passenger cars and jackknifed tractor-trailers resulting in several major road closures including portions of I-80, I-81 and US 322. There were two indirect storm-related fatalities, where two people died in a head-on collision on SR 4002 in Blair County.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 480268. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.