WINTER STORM SUMMARY FOR
FEBRUARY 13, 2014 TO FEBRUARY 14, 2014 EVENT

Synopsis

An area of low pressure was located near the coast of North Carolina during the early morning hours of February 13th, then tracked northeastward near the Mid Atlantic coast during the 13th into the 14th. The storm combined with plenty of cold air in place and produced a significant snowfall across much of our region. As the low pressure system intensified to our east, gusty northerly winds occurred especially closer to the Atlantic coast. The storm then moved away and allowed the snow to end in the early morning hours of the 14th.

Watches/Warnings/Advisories

At 3:38 PM Monday, February 10th, a Winter Storm Watch was issued for the following areas: New Castle, Kent and Inland Sussex counties in Delaware; Cecil, Kent, Queen Annes, Talbot and Caroline counties in Maryland; Salem, Gloucester, Camden, Northwestern Burlington, Southeastern Burlington, Ocean, Coastal Ocean, Atlantic, Coastal Atlantic, Cape May, Atlantic Coastal Cape May and Cumberland counties in New Jersey; Delaware, Philadelphia, Western Chester, Eastern Chester, Western Montgomery, Eastern Montgomery, Upper Bucks and Lower Bucks counties in Pennsylvania. At 3:43 PM February 11th, the watch area was upgraded to a Winter Storm Warning, except the following areas were placed under a Winter Weather Advisory: Cape May, Atlantic Coastal Cape May, Coastal Atlantic and Coastal Ocean counties in New Jersey; Delaware Beaches county in Delaware. At this same time, a Winter Storm Watch was issued for the following areas: Sussex, Warren, Morris, Hunterdon, Somerset, Middlesex, Western Monmouth, Eastern Monmouth and Mercer counties in New Jersey; Carbon, Monroe, Berks, Lehigh and Northampton counties in Pennsylvania. At 3:34 AM February 12th, the remaining Winter Storm Watch was upgraded to a Winter Storm Warning, and the other warnings and advisories remain unchanged.

At 6:17 AM February 13th, the Winter Storm Warning was cancelled for the following areas: Inland Sussex and Delaware Beaches counties in Delaware; Cape May, Atlantic Coastal Cape May, Coastal Atlantic and Coastal Ocean counties in New Jersey. At 9:31 AM February 13th, a Winter Weather Advisory was issued for Inland Sussex and Delaware Beaches counties in Delaware; Cape May, Atlantic Coastal Cape May, Coastal Atlantic and Coastal Ocean counties in New Jersey. At 1:55 AM February 14th, the Winter Storm Warning was cancelled for the following areas: Kent, Inland Sussex and Delaware Beaches in Delaware; Cecil, Kent, Queen Annes, Talbot and Caroline counties in Maryland; Berks, Western Chester and Eastern Chester counties in Pennsylvania. At 3:42 AM February 14th, the Winter Storm Warning was cancelled for the following areas: New Castle county in Delaware; Salem, Gloucester, Camden, Northwestern Burlington, Southeastern Burlington, Cumberland and Atlantic counties in New Jersey; Carbon, Monroe, Lehigh, Northampton, Delaware, Philadelphia, Western Montgomery, Eastern Montgomery, Upper Bucks and Lower Bucks counties in Pennsylvania. At this same time, the Winter Weather Advisory was cancelled for Cape May, Atlantic Coastal Cape May and Coastal Atlantic counties in New Jersey. At 5:01 AM February 14th, the Winter Storm Warning was cancelled for the following areas: Sussex, Warren, Morris, Hunterdon, Somerset, Middlesex, Western Monmouth, Eastern Monmouth, Mercer and Ocean counties in New Jersey. At this same time, the Winter Weather Advisory was cancelled for Coastal Ocean county in New Jersey.

Precipitation/Temperatures/Winds

Yet another winter storm brought significant snowfall to much of the area along with significant impacts. The snow fell heavy at times during the morning hours of the 13th, when snowfall rates were reported to be 1 to 3 inches per hour across portions of eastern Pennsylvania and northern New Jersey.

The snowfall amounts generally ranged from 8 to 20 inches across eastern Pennsylvania, with the higher amounts from Berks County and the Lehigh Valley northeastward. In New Jersey, the snow amounts generally ranged from 5 to 14 inches, with the highest amounts closer to the Delaware River and into the northern portion of the state. In Delaware, snowfall amounts ranged from 1 to 14 inches, with the highest amounts in New Castle County. For the Eastern Maryland Shore, snowfall amounts generally ranged from 4 to 9 inches.

The winds during this storm were mainly from the north and northwest at 10 to 20 mph with some gusts to 30 mph.

Significant Impacts/Aspects

Snowfall rates of 1 to 3 inches per hour during the morning of the 13th greatly impacted the snow removal process, as the plows could not keep up. In addition, significant impacts were felt at the regions airports with many cancellations and delays. This storm resulted in another snow day for many school districts across the region. The bridges over the Delaware River as well as many Interstates in the region had greatly reduced speed limits posted.

Notes

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