New Jersey, 1997

Winter Weather in New Jersey, December 29 to 30, 1997

December 29 to 30, 1997 · NWS PHI · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

A low pressure system formed to the lee of the Southern Rockies the morning of December 28th and moved east into the Tennessee Valley the morning of the 29th. A second low pressure system formed along the South Carolina Coast the morning of the 29th and intensified rapidly as it moved northward and became the main low pressure system.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
2

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 low pressure system formed to the lee of the Southern Rockies the morning of December 28th and moved east into the Tennessee Valley the morning of the 29th. A second low pressure system formed along the South Carolina Coast the morning of the 29th and intensified rapidly as it moved northward and became the main low pressure system. The low moved inland along the New Jersey shore the night of the 29th and by 7 a.m. EST on the 30th it was located in southern Vermont.Sussex and Warren Counties were far enough to the west of the low pressure system's storm track for precipitation to start as snow around sunset on the 29th, before changing over to sleet and rain during that evening and then go back to snow during the morning of the 30th. The duration of precipitation as snow was longest in the northwest part of Sussex County. Accumulations in Sussex County average 3 to 5 inches and accumulations in Warren County averaged between 1 and 3 inches. Precipitation ended as snow a bit farther southeast in New Jersey also, but accumulations were generally under an inch. Accumulations included 6.5 inches in Wantage (Sussex County), 4 inches in Newton (Sussex County), 3 inches in Montague (Sussex County) and 1 inch in Hackettstown (Warren County).

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Weather, Sussex

When
December 29, 5:00 PM EST to December 30, 12:00 PM EST
Where
Sussex forecast zone
Coordinates
41.140, -74.690 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Warren

When
December 29, 5:00 PM EST to December 30, 12:00 PM EST
Where
Warren forecast zone
Coordinates
40.857, -74.997 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Winter Weather
Snow, sleet or freezing rain below warning levels that still caused disruption, damage or casualties.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in New Jersey in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in New Jersey, December 1997

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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5624598, 5624599.