Winter Storm and Winter Weather in New Jersey, March 14, 1997

A low pressure system that developed over the southern Rockies the afternoon of the 12th and a high pressure system over nearby Canada that kept a wedge of cold air in place over Northwest New Jersey helped produce a wintry mix of precipitation across the area on the 14th. The low pressure system was in Ohio the morning of the 14th. A second low formed along its associated warm front over the Delmarva Peninsula during the day on the 14th and slowed the progression of warmer air into Northwest New Jersey and produced a prolonged period of freezing rain in Sussex County. By the morning of the 15th, the secondary low was over the Atlantic to the southeast of Cape Cod. Precipitation started as snow across the area prior to dawn on the 14th. It changed quickly to freezing rain and sleet by around dawn. The snow lingered until about 8 a.m. EST over extreme northern Sussex County. Accumulations were around 1.5 inches in Sussex County and less than an inch elsewhere. Warmer air slowly moved northwest and eventually scoured enough of the cold air to end the freezing rain across most of Northwest New Jersey by around 10 a.m. EST. But, the cold air stubbornly hanged on longer in some of the deeper valleys in Sussex County where approximately 1/4 to 1/2 inch of ice accrued on exposed surfaces. Even there, temperatures rose above the freezing mark overnight on the 14th. Prior to the changeover, untreated roadways were treacherous. Indirect insolation from the March sun and temperatures near the freezing mark prevented significant accumulations of ice prior to the change to plain rain and also seemed to hold down the number of accidents. A few accidents though were reported along Interstates 78 and 80.