Winter Storm — Southern Erie, Pennsylvania

2019-01-19 to 2019-01-20 · Southern Erie, Pennsylvania

Event narrative

Snow spread into northwestern Pennsylvania during the early afternoon hours of January 19, as low pressure moved into the Ohio Valley region. Snow was very light to start with minor accumulations by the evening hours. The most intense part of the winter storm was during the overnight hours in Northwest Pennsylvania as moderate-to-heavy snow moved into the area with snowfall rates of 1 to 2 inches of snow per hour. By daybreak on the 20th, snowfall rates quickly lessened and snow ended over the area by mid-afternoon. Strong northeast to northwest winds accompanied the snow with gusts in excess of 25 mph for much of the storm, allowing for considerable blowing and drifting. Travel was severely disrupted by this storm. Roads in rural areas were nearly impassable at times. However, this snow event occurred over the MLK holiday weekend, allowing for generally minimal impacts, as schools were closed. Numerous businesses and churches were closed for the weekend. In the southern portions of Erie County, snowfall totals ranged from 11 to 18 inches of snow for the event. A peak total of 18 inches of snow was observed at Colt Station. Other selected snowfall totals include: 17 inches in McKean, 16 inches in Greenfield Township, Greene Township, and Union City, 15 inches in North East Township, 13 inches in Edinboro, and 12 inches in Corry and Amity Township.

Wider weather episode

A low over the Southern Plains on January 18 deepened as it tracked northeast to the lower Ohio Valley on January 19, eventually reaching the upper Ohio Valley early on January 20. Heavy snow associated with this low entered northwest Pennsylvania by early afternoon on the 19th. Much of northwestern Pennsylvania had at least 6 inches of snow with most areas seeing an average of 8 to 16 inches of snow. Snow exited the area by the morning of the 20th but some lake effect bands developed over Northwest Pennsylvania and added another 1 to 2 inches of snow. Winds during this event were strong with 15 to 25 mph sustained winds and occasional gusts to 35 to 40 mph. However, due to the density of the snow, visibilities across the area never settled under a half a mile for a long duration and an blizzard-like conditions were isolated, at best. The highest snowfall total in NW Pennsylvania was in the Colt Station area of Erie County, where almost 18 inches of snow was measured. Other high snowfall totals over NW PA include: 17 inches in McKean, 16 inches in North East and Union City, 15 inches in Meadville, 14 inches in Cambridge Springs, 13 inches in Edinboro, and 12 inches in Corry. Only 6.3 inches of snow fell at Erie International Airport, a minimum for the area. This snow event occurred over the MLK holiday weekend, allowing for generally minimal impacts, as schools were closed. Numerous businesses and churches were closed for the weekend. There were numerous accidents and road closures during this event and Level 2 and 3 Snow Emergencies were issued by many counties across the area. Luckily, there were no known injuries or fatalities due to the winter storm.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 804732. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.