Winter Weather — Berks, Pennsylvania

2013-12-08 to 2013-12-09 · Berks, Pennsylvania

Wider weather episode

A complex low pressure system tracked across the Great Lakes during the 8th and the 9th, allowing an associated frontal boundary to move over the northern Mid Atlantic Region on the 8th, with a secondary area of low pressure forming off the Mid Atlantic coast. Significant forcing and lift within the atmosphere resulted in an intense band of snow developing across northern Maryland during the morning of the 8th. This heavy snow band pushed east, moving over portions of northern Maryland, northern Delaware, southeastern Pennsylvania, and into central to southern New Jersey during the afternoon. Heavy snow fell for several hours, and areas under this banding feature received in excess of 6 inches of snow, with the highest snowfall amounts reaching 12 inches. Snowfall rates within this intense snow band reached 2 to 3 inches per hour for a time. Outside of this snow band and its effected area, most locations received between 1 and 4 inches of snow, with mainly less than an inch falling across northern New Jersey and southern parts of the Delmarva.

By late afternoon to the evening of the 8th, the stronger forcing and banding of precipitation diminished, but with warmer air moving into the region, a transition to sleet, freezing rain, and rain occurred from southeast to northwest into the night of the 8th and the early morning of the 9th. The transition to rain occurred more quickly across the Delmarva and into portions of southern New Jersey, while cold air lingering at the surface resulted in freezing rain lasting into the night from around the Lehigh Valley, the Poconos, and into northwest New Jersey. Ice accretion was reported across the area, with ice accumulations in the one tenth to one quarter inch range, mainly from the Interstate 95 corridor on north and westward.

Representative snowfall totals included 10.5 inches in Garnet Valley (Delaware County), 8.6 inches at the Philadelphia International Airport (Philadelphia County), 8.0 inches in Aldan (Delaware County) and in Springfield (Delaware County), 7.8 inches in Kennett Square (Chester County), 7.1 inches in West Chester (Chester County), 6.5 inches in West Grove (Chester County), 5.5 inches in Center City Philadelphia (Philadelphia County) and in Kulpsville (Montgomery County), 4.5 inches in Franklin Township (Carbon County), 4.0 inches in Rockledge (Philadelphia County) and in Harleysville (Montgomery County), 3.7 inches in Bensalem (Bucks County), 2.5 inches in Furlong (Bucks County), 2.0 inches in Stroudsburg (Monroe County), 1.8 inches in Reading (Berks County), 1.5 inches in Oley (Berks County) and in Bernville (Berks County), 1.3 inches at the Lehigh Valley International Airport in Allentown (Lehigh County) and in Heidelberg Township (Lehigh County), 1.2 inches in Saylorsburg (Monroe County), 1.0 inches in Chapman (Carbon County), and 0.7 inches in Martins Creek (Northampton County).

Representative ice accumulations included two tenths of an inch in Albrightsville (Carbon County) and in Forks Township (Northampton County) and also in Spring City (Chester County), and one tenth of an inch in Blakeslee (Carbon County) and in Martins Creek (Northampton County) and also in Malvern (Chester County) and in Perkasie (Bucks County) and also in Pottstown and Gilbertsville (Montgomery County).

The heavy snow caused numerous accidents and road closures in southeastern Pennsylvania. A 35-year-old man was killed near Morgantown (Berks County) after he left his car and walked on the right embankment toward the most severe-looking accident. He was struck and killed when another vehicle swerved onto the embankment to avoid hitting people standing on the roadway. This fatal accident was part of multiple accidents along a twelve mile stretch of the westbound Pennsylvania Turnpike that involved fifty vehicles. One other serious injury occurred. The westbound lanes were closed for six hours between Downingtown and Morgantown. In Philadelphia, the Platt Street Bridge (Pennsylvania State Route 291) was closed for a few hours that afternoon as was northbound Interstate 95 at Columbus Boulevard. Multiple snarling accidents occurred in Delaware County. Southbound Interstate 95 was also closed for five hours near U.S. Route 322. A 10 vehicle accident occurred on U.S. Route 1 in Marple Township. Accidents were also reported in Nether Providence, Media, Springfield, Clifton Heights and Darby. In Bucks County, Street Road (Pennsylvania State Route 132) was gridlocked. Snow related problems were not just limited to roadways in the local Philadelphia area. Philadelphia International Airport experienced delays of up to four and a half hours as only one runway was kept open and a frozen switch caused the suspension of SEPTA Regional Rail service on the Manayunk/Norristown Line.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 490689. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.