Winter Weather — Middlesex, New Jersey

2014-11-26 · Middlesex, New Jersey

Wider weather episode

A winter storm on the 26th, the day before Thanksgiving Day, dropped heavy snow over parts of northwest New Jersey and caused power outages as well as additional traveling difficulties. Governer Chris Christie declared a state of emergency. Speed limits were reduced on all major roadways. Snowfall along the Interstate 95/295 corridor averaged around an inch, but snowfall reached between 3 and 12 inches in the northwest part of the state and was very elevation dependent. The weight of the heavy, wet snow tore down tree limbs, trees and power lines in the northwest part of the state. About 23,000 homes and businesses lost power. Many schools in the northern part of the state either closed or dismissed students early.

Precipitation began as rain throughout most of the state from south to north between 4 a.m. EST and 8 a.m. EST on the 26th. As precipitation intensity increased, the rain changed to snow in northwest New Jersey between 8 a.m. EST and 10 a.m. EST that morning. The snow fell at its heaviest from the late morning into the early afternoon. As precipitation intensity lessened during the second half of the afternoon and evening, precipitation mixed with or changed back to rain in lower terrain locations in northwest New Jersey. Along the Interstate 95/295 corridor, as precipitation intensity increased, the rain mixed with or even changed to sleet and snow during the midday hours before changing back to rain. The highest accumulations along this corridor were in Middlesex and Mercer Counties. In southeast New Jersey, just rain fell. Precipitation ended from south to north between 10 p.m. EST on the 26th and Midnight EST on the 27th.

The wintry precipitation on a busy travel day caused numerous accidents. New Jersey State Police responded to about 100 accidents as well as about 100 calls for assistance on major roadways. A snow related fatal accident occurred in Woodbridge (Middlesex County). In Somerset County, a jack-knifed tractor-trailer blocked two lanes of westbound Interstate 78 near Warren. In Hunterdon County, in Holland Township, a driver skidded off the road, the vehicle overturned and came to a stop in a creek. The driver was not injured. The declared state of emergency gave personnel the authority to reassign personnel and equipment, order evacuations and make changes to traffic flow on major roadways.

About 23,000 homes and businesses lost power, mainly in Jersey Central Power and Light's service area in the northwest part of the state. Most of the outages were in Sussex and Morris Counties. About 2,100 Jersey Central Power and Light customers were still without power on the morning of the 28th. In Sussex County, Sussex Rural Electric Cooperative also reported about 1,150 members were still without power at 10 a.m. EST on the 27th. The number was down to about 600 members at Noon EST on the 27th with the greatest concentration in Scenic Lakes, Lake Wallkill and Pleasant Valley Lake areas. In Sussex County, in Hardyston Township, a destroying house fire was believed to have been started by a surge when power was restored.

Representative snowfall (this included the sleet along the Interstate 95 corridor) included 11.5 inches in Highland Lakes (Sussex County), 10.7 inches in Wantage (Sussex County), 8.9 inches in Sussex (Sussex County), 8.2 inches in Bethlehem Township (Hunterdon County), 8.1 inches in Lake Hopatcong (Morris County side), 7.3 inches in Jefferson Township (Morris County), 7.2 inches in Liberty Township (Warren County), 7.0 inches in Marcella (Morris County), 5.5 inches in Blairstown (Warren County), 5.0 inches in Holland Township (Hunterdon County), 4.5 inches in Butler (Morris County), 4.0 inches in Stewartsville (Warren County), 3.7 inches in Rockaway (Morris County), 3.5 inches in Kingwood Township (Hunterdon County), 3.4 inches in Hackettstown (Warren County), 3.0 inches in Peapack (Somerset County), 2.0 inches in Hopewell Township (Mercer County), Bound Brook (Somerset County) and Metuchen (Middlesex County), 1.8 inches in South Brunswick (Middlesex County), 1.6 inches in Hillsborough (Somerset County), 1.1 inches in Florence (Burlington County) and 1.0 inch in Ewing Township (Mercer County).

In addition to the wintry precipitation inland, the onshore flow around the nor'easter caused minor tidal flooding along the Atlantic coast from Ocean County southward as well as in lower Delaware Bay during the daytime high tide cycle on the 26th. The high tide in Atlantic City (Atlantic County) reached 6.32 feet above mean lower low water. Minor tidal flooding starts at 6.0 feet above mean lower low water. The high tide in Cape May (Cape May County) reached 6.77 feet above mean lower low water. Minor tidal flooding starts at 6.7 feet above mean lower low water.

The wintry mix was caused by a low pressure system that formed in the Gulf of Mexico on a cold front on the 25th. The low pressure system moved north-northeast, crossed northern Florida during the late evening on the 25th, was located near Wilmington, North Carolina at 7 a.m. EST on the 26th, off the Virginia coastal waters at 1 p.m. EST on the 26th, about 150 miles east of the central New Jersey coast at 7 p.m. EST on the 26th and passed near Nantucket Island, Massachusetts during the late evening on the 26th.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 546597. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.