PENNSYLVANIA — While not an everyday occurrence, Pennsylvania has historically recorded winter storms that dropped a foot or more of snow in February, making such an event a real possibility even though it doesn’t happen every year, according to the National Weather Service.
Climatological records and weather archives show that large snowstorms have produced substantial accumulations in the state during February in the past. For example, during the February 2010 “Snowmageddon” event in the Pittsburgh region, more than 21 inches of snow fell over the course of that storm — well above a foot.
Similarly, in the Philadelphia region’s winter storm history, major events such as the Blizzard of February 2010 produced totals significantly greater than 12 inches.
Official snowfall records affirm that daily snow totals of well over a foot have occurred in parts of Pennsylvania; one climatological data set notes that the state’s county snowfall extremes include multi-day totals far exceeding 12 inches.
These high totals have tended to occur during strong low-pressure systems passing through the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, especially in the peak February snowstorm period noted by winter storm studies.
In contrast, typical average snowfall amounts in Pennsylvania during February are much lower at most climate reporting sites — with many urban and southern locations rarely exceeding a few inches for the month as a whole.
This means that while moderate February snow is common, storms that produce around a foot of snow represent the upper end of historical variability, tied to specific strong storm systems rather than the typical monthly pattern.
Meteorologists and climatologists use this historical snowfall record to understand Pennsylvania’s range of snowstorm outcomes. A foot of snow from a single weather system has happened in the state’s recorded weather history — particularly during notable winter storm events — and remains within the realm of possibility based on past winter patterns.
