Cold in New Jersey, January 14 to 29, 2003

A cold frontal passage on the 13th initiated about a two week run of unseasonably cold weather, even by January standards across New Jersey. There was one cold related death and a few others that were indirectly caused by the cold weather. There were several cases of either frostbite or hypothermia throughout the state. The coldest mornings were on the 18th and 28th as low temperatures dipped into the single numbers or below zero. For many locales, they were the coldest days in three years. Minimum temperatures on most days were no higher than the teens. The extreme cold filled homeless shelters to capacity. In addition the number of vehicle batteries dying and parking brakes freezing increased. Calls to heating oil firms and utilities rose dramatically. On January 18th, Public Service Electric and Gas logged 13,000 calls, twice their normal number. Several water mains broke because of the extreme cold. The Coast Guard had to break the ice in the Delaware River to make heavy shipping possible. Because of ice in Raritan Bay and around New York City, a few ferry services were stopped and ferry service between Cape May and Lewes was also restricted. On January 23rd, Public Service Electric and Gas set a usage record for both natural gas (2,425 million dekatherms) and winter time electricity usage (6,877 megawatts). In Sussex County, the cold weather caused the postponement of outdoor work projects. The non-profit assistance program in the county reported a 250 percent increase in people requesting help. In Middlesex County, a 20-year-old man was found frozen to death at a Garden State Parkway rest stop in Woodbridge. Elsewhere in Woodbridge, a 77-year-old man and a 50-year-old woman died in a fire caused by a portable electric heater that tipped over. Elsewhere in Middlesex County, water main breaks occurred in Metuchen (State Route 27) Middlesex Borough and Perth Amboy (State Route 35). In Monmouth County, ferry service between the county and New York City was suspended from January 23rd through the 26th because of ice in Raritan Bay and around the piers in New York City. About 70 percent of Raritan Bay was frozen. This was the first time since 2000 that ferry service was suspended. About 4,000 commuters who took the ferries in Highlands, Atlantic Highlands, the Belford section of Middletown Township and South Amboy (Middlesex County) had to scramble to find alternate ways to get to and from Manhattan. In Freehold, a 12 inch water main burst on U.S. Route 9 on the 30th flooded and closed the southbound lanes of the roadway. The northbound traffic was backed up for hours. In Ocean County, freezing spray problems caused fishing boats to stay in port. Too much ice accumulating on one side can cause the boat to list and capsize. Shelters in Trenton (Mercer County) were setting records. Along coastal New Jersey (Ocean, Cumberland, Cape May and Atlantic Counties), homeowners' pipes were bursting and included vacant summer homes which were not properly winterized. In Cumberland County, a 49-year-old woman was found dead on the street in Bridgeton. She suffered from asthma and it was believed the cold weather triggered an attack. The Cape May-Lewes Ferry service was reduced to one working vessel because of the ice in Delaware Bay. While the extended cold weather was expected to reduce the pest problem this upcoming growing season, wineries feared the unseasonably cold weather may kill or damage grape vines. Lowest temperatures included 9 degrees below zero in Walpack (Sussex County), 6 degrees below zero in Hainesville (Sussex County), 2 degrees below zero in Newton (Sussex County), Estell Manor (Atlantic County) and Long Valley (Morris County), zero in Chatham (Morris County) and Somerville (Somerset County), 2 degrees in Flemington (Hunterdon County) and Seabrook (Cumberland County), 3 degrees in Phillipsburg (Warren County) and the Atlantic City International Airport, 4 degrees in Freehold (Monmouth County), New Brunswick (Middlesex County) and Hightstown (Mercer County) 5 degrees in Trenton (Mercer County) and Mount Holly (Burlington County), 7 degrees in Pennsauken (Camden County), 8 degrees in Beach Haven (Ocean County), 9 degrees in West Deptford (Gloucester County) and 10 degrees at the Marina within Atlantic City. This cold snap cemented January as being unseasonably cold. The preliminary statewide monthly mean temperature of 26.3 degrees was the coldest January and winter month since 1994 (24.1 degrees). Normal is 30.6 degrees. The monthly mean temperature of 27.9 degrees at the Atlantic City International Airport was also the coldest January and the coldest winter month since 1994 (27.6 degrees). The monthly mean temperature of 31.4 degrees at the Atlantic City Marina was the coldest January and the coldest winter month since 1994 (29.5 degrees). In Trenton, the monthly mean temperature of 26.0 degrees was 5.8 degrees colder than normal.