Heavy Snow, Western Monmouth
- When
- February 2, 7:00 PM EST to February 3, 6:00 AM EST
- Where
- Western Monmouth forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.288, -74.158 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow in New Jersey, February 2 to 3, 1996
A series of low pressure systems over the western Atlantic brought heavy snow and sleet to Southeast New Jersey and heavy snow elsewhere across the Garden State. In spite of the sleet, the largest accumulations were in Southeast New Jersey.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 15 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 15
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
What happened
The episode as NWS PHI wrote it up.
A series of low pressure systems over the western Atlantic brought heavy snow and sleet to Southeast New Jersey and heavy snow elsewhere across the Garden State. In spite of the sleet, the largest accumulations were in Southeast New Jersey. The one snow related death also occurred in Southeast New Jersey. An elderly Bridgeton man died when his car skidded on an icy highway and struck a utility pole in Hamilton Township (Atlantic County). Away from the southeast part of the state most of the heavy snow fell after the evening commute was over. This held down the number of accidents described as "few" in most news accounts. The first low pressure system brought a swath of snow that accumulated 3 to 6 inches across Southeast New Jersey from about 3 a.m. to noon. Just flurries fell farther northwest in the state. The second low pressure system brought the next swath of snow farther northwest and covered the entire state by midnight on the 2nd. Some relatively warmer air above the ground caused the snow to mix with sleet across southeast parts of the state during the night of the 2nd and morning of the 3rd. Atlantic City International Airport was closed for several hours the morning of the 3rd. The weight of the snow caused an Atlantic City apartment building's roof to collapse.Accumulations averaged around six inches in Sussex, Warren, Morris and Hunterdon Counties; six to eight inches in Somerset, Middlesex, Monmouth, Mercer, Burlington, Camden, Gloucester and Salem Counties; nine inches in Cumberland County and around ten inches in Atlantic, Cape May and Ocean Counties. The lightest amounts were in the northwest corner of Sussex County, usually the snowiest spot in the state. A few representative accumulations included 12.5 inches in Hammonton, 11 inches in Manahawkin and Margate, 10 inches in Cape May City and Estelle Manor, 9 inches in Millville, 8 inches in New Brunswick, 7 inches in Mount Holly and Belvidere, and 6 inches in Westmont, Charlotteburg, Wertsville, Bridgewater and Sandy Hook.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
15 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy Snow, Eastern Monmouth
- When
- February 2, 7:00 PM EST to February 3, 6:00 AM EST
- Where
- Eastern Monmouth forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.288, -74.158 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Mercer
- When
- February 2, 7:00 PM EST to February 3, 6:00 AM EST
- Where
- Mercer forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.283, -74.702 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Salem
- When
- February 2, 7:00 PM EST to February 3, 6:00 AM EST
- Where
- Salem forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.577, -75.358 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Gloucester
- When
- February 2, 7:00 PM EST to February 3, 6:00 AM EST
- Where
- Gloucester forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.717, -75.142 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Camden
- When
- February 2, 7:00 PM EST to February 3, 6:00 AM EST
- Where
- Camden forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.804, -74.960 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Northwestern Burlington
- When
- February 2, 7:00 PM EST to February 3, 6:00 AM EST
- Where
- Northwestern Burlington forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.878, -74.668 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Western Ocean
- When
- February 2, 7:00 PM EST to February 3, 6:00 AM EST
- Where
- Western Ocean forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.866, -74.250 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Eastern Ocean
- When
- February 2, 7:00 PM EST to February 3, 6:00 AM EST
- Where
- Eastern Ocean forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.866, -74.250 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Sussex
- When
- February 2, 9:00 PM EST to February 3, 6:00 AM EST
- Where
- Sussex forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.140, -74.690 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Warren
- When
- February 2, 9:00 PM EST to February 3, 6:00 AM EST
- Where
- Warren forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.857, -74.997 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Morris
- When
- February 2, 9:00 PM EST to February 3, 6:00 AM EST
- Where
- Morris forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.862, -74.544 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Hunterdon
- When
- February 2, 9:00 PM EST to February 3, 6:00 AM EST
- Where
- Hunterdon forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.567, -74.912 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Somerset
- When
- February 2, 9:00 PM EST to February 3, 6:00 AM EST
- Where
- Somerset forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.564, -74.616 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Middlesex
- When
- February 2, 9:00 PM EST to February 3, 6:00 AM EST
- Where
- Middlesex forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.440, -74.409 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- Heavy Snow
- Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Winter Storm in North Carolina, February 2 to 5, 1996
- Cold in Illinois, February 2 to 4, 1996
- Cold in Illinois, February 2 to 4, 1996
- Cold in Louisiana, February 2 to 5, 1996
- Cold in Tennessee, February 2 to 3, 1996
- Cold in Ohio, February 2 to 5, 1996
- Cold in Mississippi, February 2 to 5, 1996
- Tornado in Florida, February 2, 1996
- Ice Storm in North Carolina, February 2, 1996
- Tornado in Florida, February 2, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Virginia, February 2 to 3, 1996
- Flash Flood in Alabama, February 2, 1996
More
Every storm in New Jersey in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in New Jersey, February 1996
Sources
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5551406, 5551407, 5551408, 5551409, 5551410, 5551411, 5551412, 5551413, 5551414, 5551415, 5551416, 5551417, 5551418, 5551419, 5551420.