Blizzard — Western Union, New Jersey

2016-01-23 · Western Union, New Jersey

Event narrative

Western Union likely experienced blizzard conditions through the morning and early afternoon on Saturday January 23rd, as nearby Newark Airport ASOS observations showed visibility less than one quarter mile in heavy snow and frequent wind gusts over 35 mph during that time.

Wider weather episode

Low pressure moving across the deep South on Thursday January 21st and Friday January 22nd intensifed and moved off the Mid Atlantic coast on Saturday January 23rd, bringing heavy snow and strong winds to northeast New Jersey, and blizzard conditions to the urban corridor and some nearby areas.

Governor Chris Christie declared a state of emergency for New Jersey on Friday January 22nd. New Jersey Transit stopped running trains, buses and light rail at 2 AM Saturday January 23rd. Bridges and tunnels from New York City into New Jersey were shut down by mid-afternoon Saturday.

Travel in and out of airports lagged through Monday January 25th as airlines pre-emptively cut hundreds of flights. More than 1,000 flights out of area airports were cancelled, and Teterboro Airport were shuttered due to whiteout conditions.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 621233. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.