Ice Storm, Sussex
- When
- March 29, 7:30 PM EST to March 30, 9:00 AM EST
- Where
- Sussex forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 41.140, -74.690 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm in New Jersey, March 29 to 30, 2001
An ice storm affected higher terrain locations of northwest Sussex County during the night of the 29th and the morning of the 30th. While temperatures were warm enough in the rest of the county for rain, temperatures tenaciously lingered just below the freezing mark during the night over the higher terrain in the northwest part of the county.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 1 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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 1
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.
An ice storm affected higher terrain locations of northwest Sussex County during the night of the 29th and the morning of the 30th. While temperatures were warm enough in the rest of the county for rain, temperatures tenaciously lingered just below the freezing mark during the night over the higher terrain in the northwest part of the county. Around three quarters of an inch of ice accrued on exposed surfaces. The ice took down tree limbs. A low pressure system developed over the Gulf of Mexico the night of the 28th. By the morning of the 29th, it moved northeast into the Florida Panhandle and by the morning of the 30th, it reached the Delmarva Peninsula. Surface winds remained from the northeast and this surface direction prevented above freezing temperatures from spreading throughout Sussex County. Untreated roadways were treacherous.
What forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 29, 7:05 PM EST, 25 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Mar 29, 7:05 PM EST, 25 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOUNT HOLLY NJ
705 PM EST THU MAR 29 2001
PCPN HAS PICKED UP IN INTENSITY UP N AND HAS YET TO CHG OVR OVR THE
HIER TRRN. STILL LOOKS LIKE 03Z-05Z TO COMPLETELY SCOUR COLD AIR.
GOING TO UP THE ACCUMS A BIT ON GRASSY SPOTS UP N AND BRING IN THE
MIXTURE THE NEXT SET OF ZONES SWD. TU SPOTTERS FOR INFO THIS EVE.
LATEST MESOETA/18Z AVN IS A BIT LWR ON STP AMTS - ARND 1.5
INCHES...STILL ENUF THOUGH TO PUSH OVR SOME OF THE FLASHIER STREAMS
AND SMALL RIVERS. HVYST PCPN TIED TO COMMA HEAD ACRS VA/NC...THIS
SHLD BE ARRIVING ARND MIDN...BUT BE OVR FOR ALL OUR ZONES BY ABT
14-15Z TMRW.
REST OF FCST AS IS BELOW
******************************************************************
WL MODIFY FLD WATCH JUST A BIT FOR TIMING...TO END IT A BIT SOONER
SINCE BEST MSTR GOES AWAY DURG FRI MRNG. STILL VERY MUCH LIKE THE
IDEA OF THE FLD WATCH SINCE THE MODELS ARE STILL QUITE AGGRESSIVE
WITH OMEGA AND RESULTANT QPF OUTPUT DUE TO VERY STG LO LVL SLY JET.
RAIN AMTS ON BOTH ETA/NGM ARE AROUND 2.25 INCHES...AND WL USE THIS
AS A ROUGH UPPER BOUND. RAIN RATES LATER TNGT/ERY FRI MRNG CUD BE
QUITE IMPRESSIVE AS POTENT UPPER/MIV LVL S/WV ACCELERATES NEWD THRU
THE CWA WITH INTERACTING MESOSCALE FEATURES...AND PSBL TERRAIN EFX
N. ETA/NGM AREA PREFERRED IN TIMING/AMTS AS WELL AS LESS EXAGGERATED
DRY SLOT FORMATION S FRI MIDDAY/AFTN...THUS WL CALL FOR SOME BRKS IN
CLDS SRN ZONES FRI AFTN...ALTHO STILL MOCLDY WITH A CHC LGT RA
CNTRL/N ZONES.
THEN FOR FRI NITE JUST PTLY CLDY AS SFC LO MOVS AWAY AND DRIER AIR
MOVS IN ON A MOSTLY DOWNSLOPING FLOW. NEXT S/WV AND ATTENDANT SFC LO
MOVG FM THE SW LOOK LIKE THEY/LL BRING A RETURN TO CLDS AND A CHC OF
AFTN RAIN FOR MOST OF AREA...HIEST CHC POPS S.
EXTDD...ANOTHER RAIN EVENT FOR LATER IN WEEKEND/MON AS OHIO VLY LO
DVLPS A SECONDARY JUST SOUTH OF CWA BY MON.
TEMPS...LIKE THE FWC/S RANGES BETTER SO STUCK CLOSER TO THEM.
WL CONT WITH SCA FOR CSTL WATERS AND LWR DE BAY.
COORD WITH ALL SURROUNDING OFFICES EARLIER...AND MARFC RE QPF.
.PHI...FLOOD WATCH TONIGHT AND FRI MRNG FOR PAZ054-055-060>062-
067>07j1-NJZ001-007>010-012>026-DEZ001-MDZ008-301700-.
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FROM SANDY HOOK NJ TO FENWICK ISLAND DE
AND FOR LOWER DE BAY.
TFGThe radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
1 ice storm. Local standard time, as filed.
What these are
- Ice Storm
- Freezing rain accumulating a quarter inch or more of ice, or less where it caused significant damage.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Lightning Strike in Florida, March 29, 2001
- Tornado in Florida, March 29, 2001
- Tornado and Damaging Wind in Florida, March 29, 2001
- High Surf in California, March 29 to 30, 2001
- Damaging Wind in Florida, March 29, 2001
- Damaging Wind in Florida, March 29, 2001
- Tornado in Florida, March 29, 2001
- Tornado in Florida, March 29, 2001
- Tornado in Florida, March 29, 2001
- Damaging Wind in Florida, March 29, 2001
- Hail in Florida, March 29, 2001
- Heavy Rain in Virginia, March 29 to 30, 2001
More
Every storm in New Jersey in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in New Jersey, March 2001
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: 5235309.