It is like clockwork, the Atlantic Storm, Driven North by a Warm Front, moves up the Coast, dumps Wet Snow on the Coast, hits the Appalachian Mountains. At that point it turns to a cold front and retreats back over the East Coast bring the Cold Snow with it (Generally a light snow fall, the biggest snow fall is with Wet Snow as the Storm first hits the East Coast). Once the Cold Front goes through, a warm front develops in the South or West and follows the Cold Front bring with it rain and warmer weather. It is rare for a Wet Snow to stay on the ground for more then a few days do to the above. Cold Snow can stay for weeks, till a Warm Front breaks through, but once the Warm Front breaks through, it can start with a huge Wet Snow Fall, do to the fact warm air carry more moisture then cold air, but converts to rain sooner or later do to the higher temperature driving the Warm Front.
The first person to observe this was Benjamin Franklin, when he wanted to see a Solar eclipse, but could not do to a storm hitting Philadelphia, but after hearing of the fact the people of Boston had seen the Eclipse BEFORE the storm hit Boston, made the connection that the Storm traveled up the coast NOT just West to East as is normal in most of the Northern Temperated Zone. Benjamin Franklin's observation was on Summer weather/Eclipse report so did not directly reflect on Winter Storms like the one the East Coast just had, but winter storms are driven north by the Gulf Stream just like Summer Storms. The Gulf Stream pulls storms to the North, while the Appalachian Mountains keeps most of them to the East,
Now the central part of the US is driven by the pull of the Gulf of Mexico AND need for any storms to avoid the Rockies and Appalachian Mountains, so many storms go south, East of the Rockies, mix with hot moist Air over Texas then go north, West of the Appalachian Mountains till such time they are forced over the Appalachian Mountains generally over Pennsylvania, Up State New York or Quebec (Many storms also go West to East, but rarely carry excessive snow or cold temperatures). These Winter Storms bring the heaviest snows to Western PA, but almost none to the East Coast. Thus you get Cold Dry Snow from Montana to the Great Lakes, but wet Snows in Pennsylvania and Up State New York (Buffalo gets a lot of Lake Affect Snow, which tends to be a Cold Snow, but that is a local affect around the Great Lakes, as you move away from the Great Lakes the above Middle American Winter Storm is the norm).
Do to the above, we in Western Pa get less snow then the East Coast WHILE having generally colder temperatures. When the push south along the Rockies is severe enough, it is called an Alberta Clipper, for its spreads south and east, extending its reach to Alabama instead of Texas (Bring with it the coldest temperatures for the Mid-west, Pittsburgh to Minneapolis/St Paul). Such Cold Temperatures reach into the American South, sometimes even to Florida. On the plus side rarely connected to heavy snow falls do to the fact Cold Air carries a lot less moisture then Hot Air (most heavy snow falls tend to be near freezing, when warm moist air runs into cold air and drops its moisture).
Yes, a lot of Snow followed by rain and warm temperatures, typical winter Weather in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
Here is a NOAA Report on Snow Storms in Pennsylvania, NOAA does NOT say that all the storms mentioned do NOT hit all of the State, for Example Lake Affect rarely hits south of Erie County except for an once hear and there, and Nor'Easterns rarely go over the Appalachian Mountains when they hit Eastern Pa AND what they call Squall lines rarely carry that much snow OVER the Appalachian Mountains, thus heavy snow in Western Pa but almost no snow in Eastern PA (Bu the Appalachian Mountains tend to be hit hard):
:
http://www.erh.noaa.gov/ctp/features/2010/12_18/index.php
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