Ice Storm and Winter Weather in New Jersey, February 13 to 14, 2000

Freezing rain and drizzle developed across Northwest New Jersey during the evening of the 13th. As warmer air moved in near the ground, the freezing rain changed to plain rain. This occurred before a significant accumulation of ice occurrred in Warren and Morris Counties. But in sections of Sussex County, around one-third of an inch of ice accrued on exposed surfaces. Driving on untreated roads were treacherous. The cause of the freezing rain was a wedge of cold air that remained trapped in the valleys of Northwest New Jersey. A low pressure system developed in Oklahoma the morning of the 13th and moved northeast to near Pittsburgh during the early morning of the 14th. The westward location of the low permitted warmer air near the ground to move into the region from the nearby Atlantic Ocean. Precipitation began spreading northeast as freezing rain or drizzle around 8 p.m. EST on the 13th and the change to plain rain was completed by daybreak on the 14th. It occurred last in the northwest valleys of Sussex County.