Winter Storm — Middlesex, New Jersey

2010-02-09 to 2010-02-10 · Middlesex, New Jersey

Wider weather episode

For the second time within a week a major winter storm affected New Jersey. Blizzard conditions occurred at times across the extreme southern part of the state during the afternoon and early evening of the 10th. Snowfall averaged 7 to 15 inches across northwest New Jersey, 12 to 20 inches across central New Jersey and 6 to 12 inches across the southern third of New Jersey. Ice accretions were less than one tenth of an inch. Two storm related deaths occurred in Burlington and Middlesex Counties.

In the southeast part of the state, snow began during the early evening on the 9th. As warmer air moved in aloft, the snow changed to sleet and freezing rain just after Midnight EST on the 10th. Surface temperatures responded slower and the sleet and freezing rain changed over to rain during the early morning (before sunrise) of the 10th. Some sleet mixed in from time to time. As the low pressure system moved northeast of the region, the rain changed back to snow around Noon EST on the 10th and fell heavy at times from the afternoon into the early evening. Winds also increased and blizzard conditions occurred from the middle of the afternoon into the early evening of the 10th in the extreme southern part of the state. The snow ended late in the evening on the 10th. Along the New Jersey Turnpike corridor in the southwest and central part of the state, snow began during the early evening on the 9th. As warmer air moved in aloft, the snow changed to sleet and freezing rain between 3 a.m. and 6 a.m. EST on the 10th. Surface temperatures responded slower and the sleet and freezing rain changed over to rain during the morning of the 10th. Some sleet mixed in from time to time. As the low pressure system moved northeast of the region, the rain changed back to snow around Noon EST on the 10th and fell heavy at times during the afternoon. Winds also increased and started to down snow laden tree limbs and trees. The snow ended late in the evening on the 10th. In the Raritan Valley and Northwest New Jersey, snow began during the evening of the 9th and fell at its heaviest during the afternoon of the 10th. The snow ended during the evening of the 10th.

States of emergencies continued (from the previous winter storm) in Cape May and Atlantic Counties. Many additional counties, cities and municipalities issued their own snow and/or states of emergencies. Many city, federal, social and county offices as well as courthouses were closed on the 10th. Except for court houses, most were reopened on the 11th. Municipal meetings were canceled as were sports games and racing cards. Flights were canceled going in and out of Atlantic City International Airport. State police reported nearly 500 accidents throughout the state. Schools were closed on the 10th and 11th, some even on the 12th. A limited number of businesses were opened on the 10th. New Jersey Transit canceled and or combined bus service on the 10th. Because the heavy snow clung to the trees first and then the winds increased, New Jersey utilities reported about 100,000 new outages, 80,000 in the southern half of the state and 14,000 in Cape May County alone. There was considerable pine tree damage. Several shelters were opened. Many school districts ran out of snow days and municipal snow removal budgets were exceeded. Trash collections were postponed. The combination of the two heavy snow events within a week started causing roof collapses in the southern half of the state.

In Burlington County, a 51-year-old man in Riverside died after a porch awning collapsed onto him. A Sunnyside Farm barn collapsed in Westampton and the roof of a Rite-Aid collapsed in Marlton. A shelter was opened in Medford as 1,900 homes within the township lost power. In Middlesex County, a 54-year-old man was killed by a snapped tree limb in East Brunswick. In Cumberland County, a carport collapsed in Vineland, slightly injuring a woman. A gas station roof collapsed in Maurice River Township. Walmart roof collapses were reported in Cape May, Gloucester and Ocean Counties. In Camden County, there were over 100 reports of downed trees in Cherry Hill. In Gloucester County, a warehouse nearly totally collapsed in Deptford Township. In Salem County, a garage collapse badly damaged eight vehicles. Blizzard conditions hampered power restoration efforts in Cape May County. Before the latest storm began, 11,000 homes and businesses were without power and an additional 14,000 lost power. Power was not fully restored until the 17th.

Representative snowfall included 20.0 inches in South Plainfield (Middlesex County), 18.7 inches in Ewing (Mercer County), 18.0 inches in Hopewell (Mercer County), 17.9 inches in Flemington (Hunterdon County), 17.6 inches in Hillsborough (Somerset County), 17.0 inches in Blackwood (Camden County), Cheesequake (Middlesex County), Jackson (Ocean County) and Sewell (Gloucester County), 16.6 inches in Belle Mead (Somerset County), 16.5 inches in Lavallette (Ocean County), 16.4 inches in New Brunswick (Middlesex County), 16.0 inches in Princeton (Mercer County), Medford (Burlington County) and Colts Neck (Monmouth County), 15.9 inches in Mount Holly (Burlington County), 15.5 inches in Clinton (Hunterdon County) and Bridgewater (Somerset County), 15.1 inches in Tabernacle (Burlington County) and Stewartsville (Warren County), 14.8 inches in Somerville (Somerset County), 14.6 inches in Point Pleasant (Ocean County), 14.5 inches in Mount Laurel (Burlington County) and Swedesboro (Gloucester County), 14.0 inches in Red Bank (Monmouth County), 13.7 inches in Manchester (Ocean County), 13.5 inches in Vineland (Cumberland County), 13.4 inches in High Bridge (Hunterdon County), 13.2 inches in Princeton (Mercer County), 13.0 inches in Old Bridge (Middlesex County) and Milton (Morris County), 12.2 inches in Malaga (Gloucester County), 12.0 inches in Somerdale (Camden County) and Butler (Morris County), 11.7 inches in Sparta (Sussex County), 11.6 inches in Rockaway (Morris County), 11.5 inches in Hackettstown (Warren County), 11.0 inches in Shrewsbury (Monmouth County), 10.3 inches in Hammonton (Atlantic County) and Hopatcong (Sussex County), 10.0 inches in Newport (Cumberland County) and Parsippany (Morris County), 8.6 inches in Estell Manor (Atlantic County), 7.8 inches in Upper Deerfield (Cumberland County), 7.3 inches at the Atlantic City International Airport, 7.1 inches in Cape May (Cape May County) and 6.5 inches in Wantage (Sussex County).

Only 10 days into February and the seasonal total of 50.1 inches of snow to date at the Atlantic City International Airport already made it the snowiest season on record surpassing the previous record of 46.9 inches set in 1966-7.

Peak wind gusts included 68 mph in Cape May (Cape May County), 54 mph at the Cape May Ferry Terminal (Cape May County), 44 mph in Tuckerton (Ocean County), 42 mph in Newport (Cumberland County) and 41 mph in Atlantic City (Atlantic County). The onshore flow preceding the low pressure system helped cause minor tidal flooding with the morning high tide on the 10th along coastal New Jersey. The high tide at Cape May (Cape May County) reached 6.78 feet above mean lower low water. Minor tidal flooding starts at 6.7 feet above mean lower low water. Minor to locally moderate beach erosion also occurred with the winter storm. Vertical cuts averaged 1 to 3 feet along the ocean front with the highest cuts reported in Ocean County.

The low pressure system responsible for the latest winter storm and blizzard emerged from the Big Bend of Texas on the morning of the 8th. It moved northeast and reached the Tennessee Valley on the morning of the 9th. At 7 p.m. EST on the 9th, it was located near Charleston, South Carolina. It then moved northnortheast and was near Norfolk, Virginia at 1 a.m. EST on the 10th, Georgetown, Delaware at 7 a.m. EST on the 10th, Atlantic City, New Jersey at 10 a.m. EST on the 10th and just east of Seaside Heights, New Jersey at 4 p.m. EST on the 10th. The low pressure system then drifted slowly east the rest of the afternoon into the overnight of the 10th. The pass of the low pressure system into the state permitted warmer air aloft and at the surface to make it into the central and southern parts of New Jersey during the first half of the day on the 10th, before the heavier snow and then in the extreme south blizzard conditions occurred. The heaviest accumulating snow occurred just to the north and west of this changeover in central New Jersey.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 212869. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.