Storm Surge and Winter Storm in New Jersey, February 16 to 17, 2003

The most powerful storm to affect New Jersey since the Blizzard of 1996 struck during the President's Day Weekend. One person in Middlesex County was directly killed after a canopy full of snow collapsed on him. Snow slowly spread from south to north from around sunrise on Sunday the 16th in Cumberland and Cape May Counties to into the evening in Sussex County on the 16th. The heaviest snow fell during the daylight hours of the 16th in the southern half of the state and during the first half of the 17th in the northern half of the state. Heavy snow continued into the afternoon of the 17th in Sussex County. Precipitation started mixing with and changing to sleet across the southern half of the state during the late evening on the 16th and continued into the morning of the 17th. Precipitation changed to freezing rain and some plain rain along the immediate coast in Cape May and Atlantic Counties. Precipitation changed back to snow before it ended during the day on the 17th. In the northern half of the state, snow ended during the afternoon and evening of the 17th. Governor James McGreevey declared a state of emergency at 130 p.m. EST on the 16th. The State of Emergency gave the state police the authority to close highways and redirect traffic. It was cancelled at Noon EST on the 18th. Many municipalities declared their own snow emergencies giving police the authority to tow away vehicles parked on snow emergency routes. Volunteers, police and members of the office of emergency management helped transport medical personnel and dialysis patients to and from hospitals. Plows were dispatched with ambulances. Through the 18th, many elective surgical procedures were cancelled. All South Jersey bus service was suspended after 8 p.m. EST on the 16th. It was suspended statewide on the 17th. Service started again on the 18th with up to 40 minute delays. All South Jersey malls closed early on the 16th. Malls, businesses, universities, schools and shopping centers were closed on the 17th which was a federal holiday - President's Day. Businesses and universities started to reopen on the 18th. Morning traffic on the 16th was heavy in southern New Jersey as many shoppers made last minute preparations for the storm. There were no snow throwers or salt to be found. The plows managed to keep one lane of traffic open throughout the event on the Atlantic City Expressway and New Jersey Turnpike. All major roads were passable on the 17th. It cost state and local officials 14 million dollars to clear roadways. Most businesses reopened on the 18th, but schools and state courthouses remained closed. Organizers had to cancel or postpone meetings and events. Life returned closer to normal on Wednesday the 19th. That was also the first day of regular weekly train service. Strong winds caused about 11,000 homes and businesses to lose power along coastal New Jersey on the 17th. Power was restored by 6 p.m. EST that evening in Atlantic and Cape May Counties, but took until the 19th in Ocean and Monmouth Counties. The worst damage from the storm inland was caused by the weight of the snow and sleet which caused numerous roof collapses and collapses of "Florida rooms". Moderate tidal flooding and moderate to locally severe beach erosion affected coastal communities. Service on the Cape May/Lewes Ferry was suspended from the afternoon of the 16th through the morning of the 18th. In Sussex County, one senior citizen died of a heart attack while shoveling snow. There were several other reported cardiac conditions caused by shoveling the snow. Road crews, which worked up to 36 straight hours had problems with drifts that reached up to five feet. A broken water main in Newton was complicated by the snow on the 18th. In Middlesex County, a 23-year-old man was killed in Edison when a corrugated roof collapsed on him at the Edison Job Corps Academy. Eight of his classmates were injured (broken bones). They were walking into the academy's cafeteria when it collapsed. He died of asphyxiation. A practice field bubble collapsed at Rutgers University. The university did not reopen until the 19th. Schools in the county did not reopen until the 21st. In Metuchen, a large section of a roof of an unoccupied warehouse building collapsed. It took until the 19th for road crews to clear the back streets. In Monmouth County, drifts reached six feet. In Wall Township, a high school roof collapsed on the 18th because of four foot drifts at one corner of the roof. The roof collapse impaired the building's fire alarm system, compromised the old roof above the school's cafeteria and fell onto electrical wires between the roofs. The school was already closed for the week, but was able to reopen the following week. A country store was badly damaged in Freehold. In Ocean County, about 115 Florida rooms collapsed in and around Berkeley and Manchester Townships in three separate developments. One health care worker was injured. Car port roofs were also collapsing. Drifts reached up to 7 feet in the county. It took until the 20th for some side streets to be plowed. Thousands were snowbound for a week. Schools were closed for the week. The heavy snow caved in the roof of a landmark bowling alley in Point Pleasant. The roof of a Wal-Mart in Stafford Township collapsed. A 150 by 100 foot section collapsed. There were no injuries. In Burlington County, hundreds of residents were forced to leave their Tricia Meadows homes in Mount Laurel on the 17th after drifting snow blocked the roof top furnace flue and vent pipes. Carbon monoxide was building within their homes. A shelter was opened at a nearby school. Volunteers helped clear the roofs and residents returned that evening. The roof of an apparel printing business in Lumberton collapsed. Planes were grounded at McGuire Air Force Base through the 18th. In Atlantic County, the roof parapet of the Egg Harbor Township Middle School collapsed. It caused cracks and strain in the supports of the school's gym and auditorium. Flights at the Atlantic City International Airport resumed on the 18th after being halted on the 16th. Bus transportation in and out of Atlantic City was suspended on the 16th and restored on the 18th. Schools did not reopen until the 20th. Many business awnings collapsed because of the weight of the snow and sleet. In Camden County, demolition crews had to raze PJ's Saloon in Gloucester Township after the building sustained structural damage from its snow load. In Collingswood, roof leaks caused a ceiling collapse in one home. In Gloucester County, several barn collapses occurred. Cows and horses were rescued and were unharmed. In Monroe Township, an elderly man was critically injured when his snow covered car port collapsed. He suffered hypothermia. The Philadelphia Flyer wives had to cancel their carnival. In Cumberland County, there were a couple of building collapses in Vineland. A multi-car garage collapsed against an apartment building. Five people were evacuated when the apartment was declared unsafe. The roof of one and the awning of another mobile home collapsed. The combination of the high pressure system to the north and the low pressure system off the Virginia Coast produced some of the strongest onshore winds and highest tides of the winter season, especially for the southern half of the state. Moderate to severe erosion occurred with cliffs as high as eight feet created. The National Guard was deployed to assist with evacuations. In Cape May County, several causeways were closed during the morning high tide on the 17th. Strathmere became an island. In North Wildwood, waves in Hereford Inlet caused a homeowner's concrete deck to collapse. The wave action washed away bulkheads and fill that supported the decks along the seawall. In Stone Harbor, about two-thirds of the beach replenishment sand (600,000 cubic yards) was lost. Two miles of sand fences were blown away. On Whale Beach between Strathmere and Sea Isle City, miles of sand dunes were washed away and it exposed sand filled geotubes which are used to stabilize the dunes and protect homes. In Atlantic County, causeways into Longport and Margate were closed on the 17th. U.S. Route 40 (The Black Horse Pike) was closed due to flooding throughout the 17th. Severe erosion was reported in Ventnor. The beach dropped seven feet in Atlantic City. In Ocean County, erosion was described as severe on Long Beach Island. Beaches in the Brant Beach and Holgate sections of Long Beach Township, Harvey Cedars and Beach Haven suffered severe erosion. Some dunes were breached in Long Beach Township. In Monmouth County, tidal flooding occurred on a couple of streets in Manasquan. In Cumberland County, the access road to Fortescue was under a foot and a half of water. In Bivalve, tidal flooding spread into parking lots and Miller Avenue. High tides during the morning of the 17th reached 8.69 feet above mean lower low water in north Wildwood (Cape May County), 8.16 feet above mean lower low water at the Cape May Ferry Terminal (Cape May County), 8.06 feet above mean lower low water at Stone Harbor (Cape May County), 7.98 feet above mean lower low water at Sandy Hook (Monmouth County), 7.50 feet above mean lower low water in Margate (Atlantic County), 7.45 feet above mean lower low water in Atlantic City (Atlantic County) and 7.13 feet above mean lower low water in Absecon (Atlantic County). The strong winds caused about 11,000 homes and businesses to lose power. Wind gusts reached to 57 mph. U.S. Route 30 was closed for three miles between Atlantic City and Absecon on the 17th because 56 light poles were knocked down. The road reopened on the 18th. In Ocean County, the windows of a Point Pleasant liquor store were blown out. In Monmouth County, Monmouth Beach was hit the hardest by power outages. It took two days to restore power. Up and down the coast, the strong winds carried sand into nearby roads, porches and boardwalks. Sand drifts blocked several roadways and were up to three feet high. Peak wind gusts included 57 mph in Cape May and Strathmere (both Cape May County), 53 mph at the Atlantic City International Airport and Barnegat (Ocean County) and 49 mph in Keansburg (Monmouth County). Specific snow accumulations included 27.0 inches in Green Pond (Morris County), 25.0 inches in Ringoes (Hunterdon County), 24.0 inches in Little Egg Harbor (Ocean County), 23.5 inches in Morristown (Morris County), 23.0 inches in Manchester (Ocean County), 22.8 inches in Cream Ridge (Monmouth County), 22.5 inches in Bridgewater (Somerset County), 22.0 inches in Williamstown (Gloucester County), Chatham (Morris County) and Hazlet (Monmouth County), 21.5 inches in Sparta (Sussex County), 21.0 inches in Butler (Morris County), Hammonton (Atlantic County), Hightstown (Mercer County), Woodbridge (Middlesex County), Manalapan (Monmouth County) and Mount Laurel (Burlington County), 20.5 inches in Wall Township (Monmouth County) and Stewartsville (Warren County), 20.0 inches in Bordentown (Burlington County), Belle Mead (Somerset County), Hackettstown (Warren County) and Barnegat (Ocean County), 19.8 inches in Margate (Atlantic County), 19.6 inches in Clinton (Hunterdon County), 19.5 inches in South Toms River (Ocean County), 19.0 inches in Tabernacle (Burlington County), Sewell (Gloucester County), Frenchtown (Hunterdon County), Ewing (Mercer County) and Gloucester Township (Camden County), 18.5 inches in New Brunswick (Middlesex County), 18.0 inches in Newport (Cumberland County), Vernon and Hamburg (Sussex County) Phillipsburg and Belvidere (Warren County) and Flemington (Hunterdon County), 17.2 inches in Princeton (Mercer County), 17.0 inches in Oaklyn (Camden County) and Cape May Court House (Cape May County), 16.0 inches in Wantage (Sussex County), 15.0 inches in Millville (Cumberland County) and 13.0 inches in Ocean City (Cape May County). The low pressure system which helped cause the heavy snow formed to the lee of the southern Rockies on the 14th. It moved to southern Missouri by the morning of the 15th, the lower Tennessee Valley the morning of the 16th, reformed off the Virginia coast the morning of the 17th and was southeast of Cape Cod on the 18th. Of equal or greater importance was a large high pressure system that moved over nearby Canada and northern New England throughout this event. This locked very cold air in place, slowed the low pressure system down and prevented it from going farther north thus leaving New Jersey on the snowier side of the system. Warm air did move in aloft between 5,000 and 10,000 feet and was the reason the snow changed to sleet during the evening and overnight on the 16th in the southern half of the state.