New Jersey, 1997

Winter Weather in New Jersey, March 3, 1997

March 3, 1997 · NWS PHI · 7 events in 7 counties and zones

The run of unseasonably warm weather came to an abrupt end during the day on the 3rd as snow fell over most of Central and Northwest New Jersey. A strong cold front on the 2nd brought in a colder air mass into the Northeast the night of the 2nd and the morning of the 3rd.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 7 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
7

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.

The run of unseasonably warm weather came to an abrupt end during the day on the 3rd as snow fell over most of Central and Northwest New Jersey. A strong cold front on the 2nd brought in a colder air mass into the Northeast the night of the 2nd and the morning of the 3rd. Meanwhile a low pressure system developed in Eastern Texas the morning of the 2nd. It moved into the Tennessee Valley the morning of the 3rd before it jumped and redeveloped along the Middle Atlantic Coast near Norfolk the evening of the 3rd. It quickly moved out to sea overnight. Snow began falling around noon on the 3rd and was over by midnight. In the central part of the state, precipitation type was partially intensity driven. When it became lighter, it mixed with or changed to sleet and rain. During heavier bursts precipitation went back to all snow. The recent warm weather caused considerably less snow to accumulate on roadways. The heaviest snow fell during the afternoon hours and did cause some slippery travel. Accumulations averaged between 2 and 4 inches, with some higher amounts over the higher terrain in the northwest part of the state. Snowfall accumulations included 5 inches in Wantage (Sussex County), 4.5 inches in Jefferson Township (Morris County), 4 inches in White House Station (Hunterdon County) and Montague (Sussex County), 3.5 inches in New Brunswick (Middlesex County), 3 inches in Wertsville (Hunterdon County), Pottersville (Somerset County) and Boonton (Morris County) and 2.5 inches in Princeton (Mercer County).

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

7 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Weather, Mercer

When
March 3, 10:00 AM EST to 8:00 PM EST
Where
Mercer forecast zone
Coordinates
40.283, -74.702 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Middlesex

When
March 3, 10:00 AM EST to 9:00 PM EST
Where
Middlesex forecast zone
Coordinates
40.440, -74.409 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Hunterdon

When
March 3, 11:00 AM EST to 9:00 PM EST
Where
Hunterdon forecast zone
Coordinates
40.567, -74.912 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Morris

When
March 3, 11:00 AM EST to 10:00 PM EST
Where
Morris forecast zone
Coordinates
40.862, -74.544 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Somerset

When
March 3, 11:00 AM EST to 10:00 PM EST
Where
Somerset forecast zone
Coordinates
40.564, -74.616 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Sussex

When
March 3, 12:00 PM EST to 11:00 PM EST
Where
Sussex forecast zone
Coordinates
41.140, -74.690 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Warren

When
March 3, 12:00 PM EST to 11:00 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, March 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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5599627, 5599628, 5599626, 5599629, 5599630, 5599631, 5599632.