New Jersey, 2005

Heavy Snow in New Jersey, February 21, 2005

February 21, 2005 · NWS OKX · 6 events in 6 counties and zones

As a cold Canadian air mass moved slowly east off the New England Coast, a weak wave of low pressure moved east toward New York State. Bands of moderate to heavy snow developed between 9 and 11 pm and moved slowly northeast across the region, before dissipating around 7 am.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 3 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
6

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.

As a cold Canadian air mass moved slowly east off the New England Coast, a weak wave of low pressure moved east toward New York State. A warm front extended southeast from this low, south of Long Island, where a second weak wave of low pressure developed.Bands of moderate to heavy snow developed between 9 and 11 pm and moved slowly northeast across the region, before dissipating around 7 am. The broadcast media reported numerous traffic accidents during this entire event.Storm Total Snowfall amounts ranged from 5 to 8 inches, as follows:Passaic County - from 5.0 inches at Little Falls to 7.5 inches at Haskell.Bergen County - from 5.5 inches at Paramus to 6.6 inches at Bergenfield.Essex County - from 5.5 inches at Newark Airport and Bloomfield to 7.3 inches at Cedar Grove.Hudson County - 6.1 inches was measured in Harrison.Union County - 5.5 inches was measured in Westfield.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

6 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Western Passaic

When
February 21, 6:00 AM EST
Where
Western Passaic forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
41.034, -74.300 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Eastern Passaic

When
February 21, 6:30 AM EST
Where
Eastern Passaic forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
41.034, -74.300 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Bergen

When
February 21, 6:30 AM EST
Where
Bergen forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER

Heavy Snow, Essex

When
February 21, 7:00 AM EST
Where
Essex forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER

Heavy Snow, Hudson

When
February 21, 7:00 AM EST
Where
Hudson forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
40.731, -74.076 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Union

When
February 21, 7:00 AM EST
Where
Union forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER

What these are

Heavy Snow
Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in New Jersey in 2005Every state in 2005This day in weather historyWarnings in New Jersey, February 2005

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: 5436862, 5436863, 5436864, 5436865, 5436866, 5436867.