SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY, Pa. —
With Halloween decorations on display and autumn leaves still clinging to branches, winter arrived ahead of schedule.
Video above: Footage from the Oct. 29, 2011, snowstorm.
Fifteen years ago today, an unusually early winter storm swept through the Susquehanna Valley, turning an October weekend into a scene more fitting for January, and leaving widespread damage behind.
October 2011 snowstorm
The Oct. 29, 2011, nor’easter brought approximately 3 to 8 inches of snow to southern and eastern Pennsylvania, according to the National Weather Service in State College. Some locations received more, with the highest amounts on ridge tops.
The storm strengthened rapidly as it moved just offshore along the East Coast late Oct. 28 and into Oct. 29.
But snowfall totals told only part of the story.
Widespread damage
Many trees still held their leaves, giving the wet snow more surface area to cling to and adding weight to branches.
Combined with gusty winds, that burden brought down trees and power lines. More than 400,000 homes and businesses across Pennsylvania lost electricity, according to the NWS.
In the Susquehanna Valley, the storm also caused dozens of crashes and left residents contending with downed trees and darkened homes.
National Weather Service
Snowfall map on Oct. 29, 2011
Historic nor’easter
The timing made the storm especially memorable. Before October had ended, residents were dealing with the kinds of disruptions usually associated with the heart of winter.
Now, on its 15th anniversary, the storm remains a chilling chapter in the Susquehanna Valley’s weather history, a Halloween fright delivered not by ghosts or goblins, but by snow-laden trees and snapping branches.