Rare ‘avalanche’ blocks Pennsylvania road during major snowstorm
Pennsylvania rarely sees true snow avalanches because it lacks the high, open alpine terrain where they typically form.
AccuWeather’s Melissa Constanzer breaks down the details of what comes next as this weekend’s destructive winter storm pummels the Northeast with snow and sleet.
First responders were busy this weekend responding to winter-weather emergencies of all kinds, including a rare report of an “avalanche” in northeastern Pennsylvania.
Duryea police issued an urgent traffic advisory Sunday afternoon after “significant avalanches” blocked Coxton Road beyond the 900 block, leaving the roadway impassable due to snow and debris.
A snow slide or "avalanche"on Coxton Road in Duryea, Pennsylvania, on Jan. 25, 2026 during a snowstorm. (Image: Duryea police and fire/Facebook)
Snow avalanches are extremely rare in Pennsylvania and aren’t a routine hazard for first responders the way they are in the Rockies, Cascades or even parts of New England. Classic avalanches typically require long, steep, largely treeless starting zones where snow can build into a deep, unstable slab—terrain Pennsylvania generally lacks.
In this case, the “avalanche” description likely refers to a snowslide or slide of snow mixed with debris coming off a steep slope or road cut, events that can occur during intense snowfall, especially when wind and accumulating snow overload an embankment.
The winter storm brought widespread heavy snowfall to the region. By late Sunday afternoon, the National Weather Service’s Binghamton office listed reports of around a foot of snow in parts of Lackawanna and Luzerne counties, including 13.0 inches near Dallas and 12.0 inches reported in multiple nearby locations.
Snow continued into Sunday evening across northeastern Pennsylvania and central New York as the storm persisted.
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