Heavy Snow — Montgomery, Pennsylvania

2005-01-22 to 2005-01-23 · Montgomery, Pennsylvania

Wider weather episode

A very potent Alberta low pressure system dropped heavy snow cross Eastern Pennsylvania on the 22nd and 23rd. Accumulations ranged from 8 to 16 inches with the highest amounts in Montgomery, Philadelphia and Bucks Counties. A 55-year-old woman from Limerick (Montgomery County) died from hypothermia after she tripped and fell in her driveway and could not get up. Snow began falling during the late morning of the 22nd, fell at its heaviest during the second half of the afternoon and early part of the evening of the 22nd. The snow ended during the morning of the 23rd, except in the Poconos where it lingered into the afternoon. Gusty northwest winds which followed in the wake of the storm caused considerable drifting snow and hampered road crews efforts as drifts continued to form on roads through the night of the 23rd. The unseasonably cold weather also rendered the salt less effective. The heavy snow caused the closure of Philadelphia International Airport for the first time in 9 years since the Blizzard of January 1996. Many sporting, community events and church services were cancelled. Museums and malls closed early. Prior to the snows arrival many supermarkets and video stores were reporting record sales. Snow emergencies were declared by many municipalities. Several men died from heart attacks while shoveling snow in Montgomery County. Many businesses never opened on Sunday the 23rd. But, the snow was cleared in time for the NFC Championship game to be played against the Eagles and Falcons during the afternoon of the 23rd. Many schools were closed on the 24th. The remainder that opened had delayed openings. The number of traffic accidents were held down because this event occurred over a weekend. The biggest problems were vehicles that became stuck on roadways. Nevertheless, there were two reported fatal accidents. A 42-year-old man died in a two vehicle crash in Hereford Township (Berks County) after he lost control of his vehicle on Pennsylvania State Route 100 and spun into oncoming traffic. In Carbon County, a man died after he drove his car into a wall. For the first time in 9 years, Philadelphia International Airport was closed for about 5 hours on the 22nd. Eight hundred passengers were stranded. Only half of the normal flights left the airport on the 23rd. Around the city, about 50 SEPTA bus routes were detoured. Homeless people were sheltered as code blues were continued. Even on the 24th, regional rail lines had delays of up to 30 minutes. Several SEPTA bus routes were still detoured. In the Lehigh Valley, the International Airport remained open, but numerous flights were cancelled. In Palmer Township, (Northampton County) an elderly man was rescued from the Bushkill Creek after his pick-up truck skidded off the road into the creek. The snow complicated a fire that tore through two historic buildings in Bethlehem (Northampton County). The fire destroyed the roofs, interior and upstairs of two businesses. Three firefighters were injured. In the Lehigh Valley, pre-schools, nursery schools and day care centers were closed on the 24th. In the Poconos, the low temperature of 10 degrees below zero in Mount Pocono before the arrival of the snow was the lowest reading of the winter. The snow also complicated a house that was burned in Ross Township.Specific snowfall accumulations 15.8 inches in Yardley (Bucks County), 14.9 inches in Forks Township (Northampton County), 13.6 inches in Radnor (Delaware County), 13.5 inches in Conshohocken (Montgomery County), 13.4 inches in northeast Philadelphia, 13.0 inches in Albrightsville (Carbon County) and Langhorne (Bucks County), 12.6 inches at the Philadelphia International Airport, 12.0 inches in Perkasie (Bucks County) and Easton (Northampton County), 11.8 inches in Phoenixville (Chester County), 11.5 inches in Lehighton (Carbon County), 11.0 inches in Boothwyn (Delaware County), Palm and Green Lane (Montgomery County) and Saylorsburg (Monroe County), 10.6 inches at the Lehigh Valley International Airport, 10.2 inches in Germansville (Lehigh County), 10.0 inches in Morgantown (Berks County) and Pocono Summit (Monroe County) and 8.0 inches in Honey Brook (Chester County) The winter storm was caused by a very powerful Alberta low pressure system. This type of low rarely produce snowfalls of this intensity. This low moved southeast from eastern Montana on the morning of the 21st to southern Minnesota on the evening of the 21st to near Dayton, Ohio around sunrise on the 22nd. It then moved to just south of Erie, Pennsylvania on the afternoon of the 22nd. A secondary low pressure system formed over lower Chesapeake Bay on the afternoon of the 22nd. It would become the main low over the next twelve hours as it intensified over the nearby Atlantic Ocean. It deepened quickly as it passed near the Nantucket, Massachusetts buoy at 7 a.m. EST on the 23rd.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5434908. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.