New Jersey, 2003

Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in New Jersey, January 5, 2003

January 5, 2003 · NWS PHI · 11 events in 11 counties and zones

A potent Alberta Clipper produced heavy snow across extreme southwestern New Jersey and an accumulating snow of two to four inches across much of the rest of the southern half of southern New Jersey. Accumulations farther north were less than two inches.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 11 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
11

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.

A potent Alberta Clipper produced heavy snow across extreme southwestern New Jersey and an accumulating snow of two to four inches across much of the rest of the southern half of southern New Jersey. Accumulations farther north were less than two inches. The largest accumulations were in Salem and Gloucester Counties. Snow began falling during the early afternoon and was the heaviest during the afternoon. It ended during the evening. Many roads in the southwestern part of the state became slippery and snow covered. Accumulations included 5.3 inches in Quinton (Salem County), 4.5 inches in Williamstown (Gloucester County) and Chesilhurst (Camden County), 4.2 inches in Glassboro (Gloucester County), 4.0 inches in Sewell (Gloucester County), 3.7 inches in Tabernacle (Burlington County), 3.5 inches in Northfield (Atlantic County), Lindenwold and Erial (Camden County), 3.1 inches in Mount Holly (Burlington County), 3.0 inches in Newport (Cumberland County) and Mount Laurel (Burlington County), 2.8 inches in Somers Point (Atlantic County) and Somerdale (Camden County), 2.5 inches in Hammonton (Atlantic County) and Delran (Burlington County) and 2.0 inches in Ewing (Mercer County). The low pressure system formed in Saskatchewan Province on the third, moved southeast to Minnesota on the morning of the 4th, southern Indiana on the morning of the 5th and was well east of the Delmarva Peninsula during the morning of the 6th. Historically, Alberta type low pressure systems usually do not produce heavy snow. But the air at mid levels of the atmosphere was quite cold and this enhanced the instability with this low pressure system. While no thunderstorms occurred, the instability did produce heavier precipitation.

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 Jan 5, 12:00 PM EST, 0 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 5, 12:00 PM EST, 0 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 5, 4:34 AM EST, 7 hours 26 minutes before
DEZ001>004-MDZ008-012-015-019-020-NJZ001-007>010-012>027-PAZ054-055-
060>062-067>071-051130-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOUNT HOLLY NJ
434 AM EST SUN JAN 5 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EAST CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST
PENNSYLVANIA...DELAWARE...THE NORTHERN MARYLAND EASTERN SHORE...AND
NEW JERSEY EXCLUDING THE FIVE NORTHEAST COUNTIES.

.DAY ONE...TODAY

LIGHT SNOW WILL SPREAD ACROSS THE AREA THIS AFTERNOON AND END EARLY
TONIGHT. AN INCH OR TWO ACCUMULATION IS POSSIBLE.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED.

JWH

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jan 5, 11:30 AM EST, 30 minutes before
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The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

9 winter weather, 2 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Gloucester

When
January 5, 12:00 PM EST to 9:00 PM EST
Where
Gloucester forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
39.717, -75.142 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Salem

When
January 5, 12:00 PM EST to 9:00 PM EST
Where
Salem forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
39.577, -75.358 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Camden

When
January 5, 1:00 PM EST to 10:00 PM EST
Where
Camden forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
39.804, -74.960 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Cumberland

When
January 5, 1:00 PM EST to 10:00 PM EST
Where
Cumberland forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
39.328, -75.129 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Eastern Atlantic

When
January 5, 1:00 PM EST to 10:00 PM EST
Where
Eastern Atlantic forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
39.469, -74.634 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Eastern Ocean

When
January 5, 1:00 PM EST to 10:00 PM EST
Where
Eastern Ocean forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
39.866, -74.250 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Mercer

When
January 5, 1:00 PM EST to 10:00 PM EST
Where
Mercer forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
40.283, -74.702 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Northwestern Burlington

When
January 5, 1:00 PM EST to 10:00 PM EST
Where
Northwestern Burlington forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
39.878, -74.668 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Southeastern Burlington

When
January 5, 1:00 PM EST to 10:00 PM EST
Where
Southeastern Burlington forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
39.878, -74.668 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Western Atlantic

When
January 5, 1:00 PM EST to 10:00 PM EST
Where
Western Atlantic forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
39.469, -74.634 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Western Ocean

When
January 5, 1:00 PM EST to 10:00 PM EST
Where
Western Ocean forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
39.866, -74.250 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Heavy Snow
Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.
Winter Weather
Snow, sleet or freezing rain below warning levels that still caused disruption, damage or casualties.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in New Jersey in 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyWarnings in New Jersey, January 2003

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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5341282, 5341283, 5341284, 5341285, 5341286, 5341287, 5341288, 5341289, 5341290, 5341708, 5341709.