Cold/Wind Chill — Western Ocean, New Jersey

2015-02-15 · Western Ocean, New Jersey

Wider weather episode

The combination of strong to high winds and an approaching arctic air mass produced wind chill factors of 10 to 15 degrees below zero during the first half of the day on the 15th in New Jersey. One person in Ocean County died from hypothermia. Actual morning low temperatures were around 10 degrees above zero.

In Lakewood (Ocean County), a 66-year-old woman died from hypothermia while walking home early on the 15th. Many municipalities declared code blues. Plumbers were swamped with frozen pipe calls. Some say it was the busiest they have been in over 20 years. Shelters were full. Even oil lines were freezing. Some homes ran out of heating oil.

Lowest hourly wind chill factors included 15 degrees below zero in Atlantic City (Atlantic County) and Millville (Cumberland County), 14 degrees below zero in Toms River (Ocean County), 13 degrees below zero in Trenton (Mercer County), 12 degrees below zero in Lumberton (Burlington County) and Belmar (Monmouth County) and 11 degrees below zero in Wildwood (Cape May County). Morning low temperatures (all above zero) included 8 degrees in Atlantic City (Atlantic County), Lumberton (Burlington County), Trenton (Mercer County) and Millivlle (Cumberland County), 9 degrees in Toms River (Ocean County) and 10 degrees in Somerville (Somerset County), Sussex (Sussex County) and Wildwood (Cape May County).

The unseasonably cold arctic air mass and low wind chill factors were caused by the strong to high northwest wind flow between an extremely intense low pressure system south of New England and an arctic high pressure system over the upper Great Lakes. This combination returned the night of the 15th.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 558253. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.