New Jersey, 2000

Winter Storm in New Jersey, February 18 to 19, 2000

February 18 to 19, 2000 · NWS OKX · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

With cold air in place, as a warm front approached from the south and a weak low pressure system moved northeast along the coast, light snow developed from around 6:05 am at West Milford (in Western Passaic County) to 9:38 am at Teterboro Airport (in Bergen County). Snowfall became heavy, falling at the rate of at least 1 inch per hour from around 10 am to 2 pm from south to north.

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
4

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 OKX wrote it up.

With cold air in place, as a warm front approached from the south and a weak low pressure system moved northeast along the coast, light snow developed from around 6:05 am at West Milford (in Western Passaic County) to 9:38 am at Teterboro Airport (in Bergen County). Snowfall became heavy, falling at the rate of at least 1 inch per hour from around 10 am to 2 pm from south to north. Snow changed to freezing rain from around 2:30 pm to 6 pm from south to north.This first round of heavy precipitation resulted in from 3 to 6 inches of snow followed by up to a 1/8th-inch thick ice coating. This dangerous mix of precipitation caused serious and widespread traffic disruptions.Here are selected snowfall amounts:For Passaic County: 5.1 inches was measured at West Milford.For Bergen County: from 3 inches at North Arlington and Lyndhurst to 5.3 inches at Mahwah.For Essex County: from 3.1 inches at Newark Airport to 4.2 inches at Nutley.A second low pressure system moved east from Pennsylvania, and passed "just" south of the area overnight. This low produced freezing rain across the region. At Newark Airport, 0.37 inches of freezing rain was measured as temperatures hovered from 30 to 31 degrees. Significant icing of roads occurred, which caused major traffic disruptions.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

4 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Eastern Passaic

When
February 18, 4:30 PM EST
Where
Eastern Passaic forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
41.034, -74.300 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Bergen

When
February 18, 4:30 PM EST
Where
Bergen forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER

Winter Storm, Western Passaic

When
February 18, 7:00 PM EST
Where
Western Passaic forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
41.034, -74.300 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Essex

When
February 19, 3:00 AM EST
Where
Essex forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

What these are

Winter Storm
A storm that brought snow, sleet or freezing rain at warning levels, usually over several hours or days.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in New Jersey in 2000Every state in 2000This day in weather historyWarnings in New Jersey, February 2000

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: 5127161, 5127162, 5127163, 5127574.