Winter Storm — Delaware Beaches, Delaware

2022-01-03 · Delaware Beaches, Delaware

Event narrative

Snow amounts on either side of 6 inches were reported. Totals were a bit lower on the Delaware Beaches versus areas slightly farther inland due to a longer duration of rain at the beginning of the storm before precipitation changed to snow. This was especially true for the southernmost beaches.

Wider weather episode

A winter storm impacted most of Delmarva and southern New Jersey on January 3, 2022. A strengthening area of low pressure developed over the Southeast US late on January 2 and move northeast, tracking offshore of the mid-Atlantic in a typical Nor'easter-type setup. A widespread 6 to 12 inches of snow with locally higher amounts fell across the Eastern Shore of Maryland, most of Delaware, and several counties of southern New Jersey. The storm was notable for having a very sharp cutoff in the northern extent of accumulating snow. Also, an unseasonably warm air mass had been in place prior to this storm's arrival, with areas that saw the most snowfall having been in the 50s and 60s less than 12 hours before snow began! The passage of a strong cold front brought rapid cooling in the hours leading up to the storm, and very heavy snowfall rates, at times well in excess of 1 inch per hour, overwhelmed the lingering warm ground and caused accumulation to occur. The storm was fairly quick moving, and had departed by the late afternoon and early evening of the 3rd.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 991875. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.