Lake-Effect Snow — Southern Erie, Pennsylvania

2019-01-09 to 2019-01-11 · Southern Erie, Pennsylvania

Event narrative

A cold front moving through the Great Lakes region late on January 8th, allowed for cold, arctic air to settle over the region for January 9 and 10. Ahead of the front, unseasonably warm temperatures and thunderstorms were present over the region, preventing a quick transition to snow. However, by day break on January 9, temperatures had cooled by over 20 degrees in several locations and snow began falling in northwest Pennsylvania. Cold, northwest flow over Lake Erie allowed for a multi-band lake effect snow setup over the region and by midday on the 9th, much of the Lake Erie snow belt from Cleveland to Erie was seeing snow. While many areas were seeing snow on the 9th and 10th, snow was not particularly intense as snowfall rates were a half inch or less on average. Overnight on the 9th, a Lake Huron band began to setup over the region and allowed for more intense snow to impact portions of Erie County, PA. Snow continued through the day on January 10 and finally ended during the late evening hours. Several accidents were reported in Erie County during this event and several school districts cancelled classes on the 10th. Snow totals for this event were highest in the southern part of Erie County. Edinboro, Union City, Corry, and Amity Township all recorded 10 inches of snow. Further north, Greene Township recorded 6 inches of snow and Greenfield Township recorded 5 inches of snow.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 798719. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.