Storm Data and Unusual Weather Phenomena - CIG

Storm Data and Unusual Weather PhenomenaTimePath PathNumber ofEstimatedLocal/ Length WidthPersonsDamageLocation DateStandard (Miles) (Yards) Killed Injured Property Crops Character of StormMarch 1998NEW JERSEY, South and NorthwestA coastal low pressure system dropped a mixture of sleet and snow across Northwest New Jersey from the morning of the 21stthrough sunrise on the 22nd. Precipitation started as rain before dawn on the 21st, but as cold air was drawn into the region fromNew York State and Canada, precipitation slowly changed over from rain to sleet in the morning and early afternoon and then tosnow by the evening, starting first in the higher elevations. It took a while for precipitation to become snow in the valleys, especiallyin Warren County. Periods of light snow persisted through the night of the 21st until the upper level low guiding the surface lowpressure system (near Cape Cod the morning of the 22nd) moved through the region. The heaviest precipitation fell as rain earlierin the day on the 21st and thus accumulations were held down, mainly between two and four inches. The region also avoided aburst of heavier snow that accompanied the upper level low pressure system early in the morning on the 22nd. Accumulationsincluded 4 inches in Highland Lakes and Montague, 2 inches in Wantage and Newton, 1.5 inches in Hackettstown and 0.6 inches inStewartsville. The low pressure system that caused the wintry mix moved northeast from North Carolina early in the morning on the21st, to just east of Delaware the evening of the 21st to Cape Cod the morning of the 22nd. The upper level low steering the surfacesystem moved through New Jersey during the early morning on the 22nd.NJZ008NJZ013>014-024>026NJZ013-019NJZ001-007>010-012>026Morris21 0700EST0 0Winter Storm22 0900ESTA coastal low pressure system and its driving upper air system produced a winter storm across Morris County. Precipitation startedas rain before dawn on the 21st, but as cold air was drawn into the region from New York State and Canada, precipitation slowlychanged over from rain to sleet early in the morning in the northwest hills of the county and took most of the day for the change overto occur in the far southeastern parts of the county. The change to snow followed a similar slow path. Periods of snow persistedthrough the night of the 21st and were enhanced toward daybreak on the 22nd in the eastern parts of the county as the upper levellow guiding the surface low pressure system (nearing Cape Cod the morning of the 22nd) moved through the region.Accumulations averaged around 6 inches and included 7 inches in Butler, 6 inches in Jefferson Township, 5 inches in Marcella and4 inches in Chatham. The low pressure system that caused the winter storm moved northeast from North Carolina early in themorning on the 21st, to just east of Delaware the evening of the 21st to Cape Cod the morning of the 22nd. The upper level lowsteering the surface system moved through New Jersey during the early morning on the 22nd.Western Monmouth - Eastern Monmouth - Eastern Cape May - Eastern Atlantic - Eastern Ocean21 1130EST0 0Coastal Flooding22 0330ESTA coastal low pressure system helped produce some minor tidal flooding around the time of high tide during the early afternoon onthe 21st and the very early morning on the 22nd. Tides averaged between 2.5 and 3.0 feet above normal and reached around 7.5feet above mean low water at Sandy Hook, 6.7 feet above mean low water at both Atlantic City and Manasquan Inlet and around 7.0feet above mean low water at Cape May. The highest tides occurred with the early morning high tide on the 22nd. Since the lowpressure system moved quickly, winds shifted to the northwest around sunrise on the 22nd and tidal flooding was limited to only atwo tide cycle event. Winds gusted to between 45 and 50 mph along the immediate shore, but these conditions paled in comparisonto the northeasters that battered the region during late January and early February. The low pressure system that caused the minortidal flooding moved northeast from North Carolina early in the morning on the 21st, to just east of Delaware the evening of the 21stto Cape Cod the morning of the 22nd.Western Monmouth - Burlington22 0200EST0 0Snow0800ESTAn upper level low moved over New Jersey during the early morning of the 22nd and produced a narrow burst of heavier snow in asouthwest to northeast corridor from Mount Laurel in Burlington County to Sandy Hook in Monmouth County. Accumulationswithin this band averaged 3 to 5 inches. Elsewhere across central and southern New Jersey, accumulations were lighter andgenerally two inches or less. Accumulations included 5.5 inches in Sandy Hook, 4.5 inches in Hazlet and Mount Laurel, 3.5 inchesin Freehold and 3.0 inches in Marlboro Township.Sussex - Warren - Morris - Hunterdon - Somerset - Middlesex - Western Monmouth - Eastern Monmouth -Mercer - Salem - Gloucester - Camden - Burlington - Western Ocean - Cumberland - Western Atlantic -Western Cape May - Eastern Cape May - Eastern Atlantic - Eastern Ocean27 1000EST0 0Unseasonably Warm31 2300ESTAn unseasonably warm air mass for late March brought record breaking high temperatures across New Jersey from March 27ththrough March 31st. The warmest day for the shore was the 29th, for interior central and southern New Jersey the 30th and fornorthwest New Jersey the 31st.Statewide March 30th was the warmest March day of this century with a few locations reaching high temperatures of 90 degrees.Several locations across the Middle Atlantic States established new March monthly high temperature records. Morristown broke itsprevious March monthly record of 85 degrees set in 1977 with a high temperature of 89 degrees on the 30th. It was also thewarmest March day of this century in New Brunswick with a high of 88 degrees. The Atlantic City International Airport in Pomonatied its March monthly record of 87 degrees set previously on March 29, 1945. The excessive heat contributed to a small brush firealong the New Jersey Transit lines in Middlesex County.117 111