WINTER STORM SUMMARY FOR
JANUARY 21, 2014 TO JANUARY 22, 2014 EVENT

Synopsis

During the early morning hours of Tuesday January 21, 2014 a slow moving arctic front crept through the region. This allowed temperatures to decrease from the low-50s the day before to below freezing early Tuesday morning. As the front sat to the southeast of the region a quick moving Alberta Clipper low pressure system moved out of the Great Lakes region and neared the area. At the same time a weaker low pressure system moved northeast along the frontal boundary, just offshore of the DelMarVa region. The clipper system began to transfer its energy to the coastal low pressure which then started to rapidly intensify. Moisture from the clipper system and the Atlantic Ocean were rung out across the Mid-Atlantic region during much of the morning and afternoon hours of the 21st. Multiple mesoscale bands traversed portions of Southeast Pennsylvania, Northern Delaware, and West Central New Jersey through the early afternoon hours. The coastal low moved off towards New England later in the afternoon on the 21st bringing an end to the heavy snow from west to east across the region.

Watches/Warnings/Advisories

At 336AM on Monday January 20, 2014, a Winter Storm Watch was issued for Kent, New Castle, and Sussex Counties in Delaware, Caroline , Cecil, Kent, Queen Annes, and Talbot Counties in Maryland, Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean, and Salem Counties in New Jersey, Delaware, Eastern Chester, Eastern Montgomery, Lower Bucks, and Philadelphia Counties in Pennsylvania.

At 545AM on Monday morning the Watch was expanded to cover Hunterdon, Morris, and Somerset Counties in New Jersey, Upper Bucks, Western Chester, and Western Montgomery Counties in Pennsylvania. At 258PM later that afternoon, the Watch area was converted to a Warning. A Winter Weather Advisory was then added for Sussex and Warren Counties in New Jersey, Berks, Carbon, Lehigh, Monroe, and Northampton Counties in Pennsylvania. At 402AM on Tuesday January 21st, the Winter Weather Advisory for Warren County in New Jersey, and Berks, Lehigh, and Northampton Counties in Pennsylvania was upgraded to a Winter Storm Warning. A Wind Chill Advisory was also raised for all of our Counties in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.

At 1011PM on the 21st the Winter Storm Warning was cancelled for Warren County in New Jersey, Berks, Lehigh, and Northampton Counties in Pennsylvania, and the Winter Weather Advisory was cancelled for Sussex County in New Jersey, Carbon, and Monroe Counties in Pennsylvania. At 1158PM on the 21st the Winter Storm Warning was cancelled for New Castle County in Delaware, Cecil and Kent Counties in Maryland, Hunterdon, Morris, and Somerset Counties in New Jersey, Lower and Upper Bucks, Delaware, Eastern and Western Chester, Eastern and Western Montgomery, and Philadelphia Counties in Pennsylvania. At 150AM on the 22nd the Warning was cancelled for Queen Annes and Talbot Counties in Maryland, Camden, Gloucester, Mercer, Middlesex, Northwest Burlington, and Salem Counties in New Jersey. The remainder of the Warning was cancelled at 328AM on the 22nd. The Wind Chill Advisory continued through 11AM on the 22nd but was extended until 6AM on the 23rd for Carbon and Monroe Counties in Pennsylvania.

Precipitation/Temperatures/Winds

There was a narrow band of heavy snow axis which lied along/adjacent to the I-95 corridor from Northeast Maryland into Northern Delaware, Philadelphia, Southwest New Jersey into Monmouth County New Jersey. Within this stripe a general accumulation of 10 to 14 inches fell while portions of Monmouth County received nearly 16 inches. Further to the west across portions of Southeast Pennsylvania into the Lehigh Valley and North Central New Jersey a general 6 to 10 inches was recorded though some higher amounts did occur in the slightly higher terrains. Temperatures across DelMarVA and Southeast New Jersey were marginal for larger snow accumulations and several hours of mixing with rain and sleet was reported. Elsewhere temperatures were cold enough for rapid accumulations especially with mesoscale banding taking place. A couple of these bands were able to produce snowfall rates in excess of 2 inches per hour…absolutely incredible. As the system moved away from the region very cold air filtered into the area as strong gusty northwest winds created wind chill values between -10F to -25F across the area.

Significant Impacts/Aspects

With temperatures in a lot of places below freezing, snow accumulation occurred on all surfaces Tuesday morning. The heavier banding allowed for a rapid snow accumulation and very low visibilities turning any travel into a very treacherous endeavor. Schools across the region were closed for the day and many people decided the best course of action was to take the day off work. The strong winds with the departing system caused for areas of blowing snow and significant drifting continuing the treacherous travel conditions into Wednesday morning.

Notes

Information contained in this summary is preliminary. More complete and/or detailed information may be contained in subsequent monthly NOAA storm data publications.