Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in New Jersey, March 14 to 15, 1999

A coastal low pressure system brought heavy wet snow to most of New Jersey from northern Burlington and Ocean Counties northward. Several inches of heavy wet snow also accumulated in southwest New Jersey before a change to rain occurred near midnight EST on the 14th. The heavy wet snow also brought down tree limbs and wires. About 50,000 homes and businesses lost power in the state, mainly in the central part of the state. Several school districts closed their schools in the northern half of the state on Monday the 15th. Several minor (mainly fender-benders) accidents occurred. Accumulations in southwest New Jersey were mainly between 2 and 4 inches. Farther north accumulations averaged between 4 to 8 inches with some locally higher amounts in Sussex County. This was the heaviest snow to affect many areas of the state simultaneously since 1996.Precipitation started as snow in the early afternoon on the 14th in the northwest part of the state. Farther south, the air had warmed enough for precipitation to start as rain. But as the intensity increased, the rain changed to snow in all areas between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. EST. The rain/snow line had a difficult time lifting north from the Salem County/Cumberland County, western Atlantic County, southern Burlington County and the Eastern Ocean County area. Precipitation changed from snow to rain back to snow in Salem County before the rain/snow line advanced for good during the late evening of the 14th. The snow changed to rain in Mount Holly (Burlington County) around Midnight EST and Trenton at 1 a.m. EST on the 15th. Precipitation ended as snow in the northwest part of the state. A second shot of light snow brought little additional accumulations during the morning of the 15th. The heavy, wet snow started to tear down tree limbs, trees and power lines during the late evening onward. Outages began as far south as the Conectiv service area in Hammonton (Atlantic County) and southeast Camden County. About 8,000 homes and businesses lost power in Public Service Electric and Gas's (PSE&G) service area along the Burlington/Camden County border in Cherry Hill, Maple Shade, Moorestown and Mount Laurel. Central New Jersey was hardest hit by the power outages. There were 15,000 outages in the Princeton (Mercer County) area, 15,000 outages in Monmouth and Ocean Counties and 5,000 outages in the Flemington (Hunterdon County) area. Other areas hit by power outages included Montgomery Township and Bernardsville (Somerset County), Old Bridge (Middlesex County) and East Amwell and Raritan Townships (Hunterdon County). The downed tree limbs and power lines also closed several roads in Mercer and Somerset Counties including U.S. Route 206.Accumulations included 12 inches in Highland Lakes (Sussex County), 9.5 inches in Wantage and High Point (Sussex County), 8 inches in Boonton, Rockaway Township and Washington Township (all Morris County) and Freehold (Monmouth County), around 7.5 inches in Wertsville (Hunterdon County) and Hillsborough (Somerset County), 7 inches in New Brunswick (Middlesex County), White House Station (Hunterdon County) and Hazlet (Monmouth County), 6.5 inches in Hightstown (Mercer County), 6 inches in Princeton (Mercer County), Blackwells Mills (Somerset County), Newton (Sussex County) and Lakewood (Ocean County), 5 inches in Stewartsville (Warren County), East Hanover Township (Morris County), Metuchen (Middlesex County) and Manasquan (Monmouth County), 4.5 inches in Cherry Hill (Camden County), 4 inches in Somerdale (Camden County), Swedesboro (Gloucester County) and Toms River (Ocean County), 3.5 inches in Mount Holly and Moorestown (Burlington County) and 2 inches in Mullica Hill and Glassboro (Gloucester County). The low pressure system developed along the Gulf Coast States the morning of the 13th. During the morning of the 14th it had moved into Alabama and was located just east of the Delmarva Peninsula around daybreak of the 15th. The storm intensified and moved rapidly offshore on the 15th and reached Nova Scotia the morning of the 16th.