WINTER STORM SUMMARY FOR
DECEMBER 10, 2013 EVENT

Synopsis

A final wave of upper-level energy allowed for a low pressure system to develop off of the Carolina coast. This low then quickly tracked to the northeast on Tuesday, December 10th. This system teamed up with enough cold air still in place across a good portion of the area and resulted in snow. The storm quickly moved east of our area during the afternoon of December 10th.

Watches/Warnings/Advisories

At 3:48 PM on Monday December 9th, Winter Storm Warnings were issued for the following counties: New Castle in Delaware; Cecil in Maryland; Camden, Gloucester, Mercer, Northwestern Burlington and Salem in New Jersey; Delaware, Eastern Chester, Eastern Montgomery, Philadelphia and Lower Bucks in Pennsylvania. Winter Weather Advisories were also issued at this time for the following counties: Kent and Sussex in Delaware; Caroline, Kent, Queen Annes and Talbot in Maryland; Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland, Hunterdon, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Somerset, Southeastern Burlington and Warren in New Jersey; Berks, Lehigh, Northampton, Western Chester, Western Montgomery and Upper Bucks in Pennsylvania. The Winter Weather Advisory was expanded at 3:51 AM on December 10th to include Sussex County in New Jersey and Carbon and Monroe Counties in Pennsylvania. At 7:58 AM on December 10th, the advisory was upgraded to a Winter Storm Warning for Kent County in Maryland. At 2:05 PM on December 10th, all Winter Storm Warnings and Winter Weather Advisories were cancelled.

Precipitation/Temperatures/Winds

Periods of snow overspread a good portion of the region during the early morning hours of December 10th. The snow continued during the morning, some of which fell moderate to heavy at times. The heavier snow intensity was generally across portions of eastern Maryland, Delaware, into southeastern Pennsylvania and across southern New Jersey. The system was a fast mover, and therefore the accumulating snow ended quickly during the early afternoon hours. The air temperatures were generally in the lower 30s when the snow was falling, which helped to keep treated roadways more wet than snow covered. North to northwest winds were mainly on the light side, averaging 10-15 mph during this event.

Significant Impacts/Aspects

Snow overspread a good portion of the region during the early morning hours of December 10th, then increased in intensity around the time of the morning commute. The snow fell moderate to heavy at times during the morning, especially from eastern Maryland and Delaware to far southeastern Pennsylvania and into portions of southern New Jersey. Numerous vehicle accidents were reported across the region along with greatly reduced visibilities. Many school districts decided to close school due to the impending weather.

Notes

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