An impulse from the west coast traversed the midsection of the country, then developed into a low pressure system as it tracked across the Gulf states before intensifying along the Carolina coast into a major nor'easter, producing record snowfall in parts of New Jersey on January 23rd. It then moved out to sea after passing by the mid-Atlantic coast early on January 24th.
Snow began falling during the Friday afternoon commute on January 22nd, then continued, heavy at times, Friday night into early Sunday morning. Wind gusts up to 60 MPH produced blizzard conditions as visibilities dropped to one-quarter mile or less in spots. Some representative snowfall totals include: 17.5 inches in Buena Vista Township (Atlantic County), 22.5 inches in Florence (Burlington), 22.0 inches in Bellmawr (Camden), 11.3 inches near Wildwood Crest (Cape May), 13.5 inches in Newport (Cumberland), 21.0 inches in Deptford Township (Gloucester), 29.6 inches in Whitehouse (Hunterdon), 24.0 inches in Hamilton Township (Mercer), 27.7 inches in Metuchen (Middlesex), 22.0 inches in Manalapan (Monmouth), 30.0 inches in Long Valley (Morris), 21.0 inches in Jackson Township (Ocean), 14.0 inches in Pittsgrove Township (Salem), 30.0 inches in Bernards Township (Somerset), 16.0 inches in Stockholm (Sussex), and 28.0 inches in Harmony Township (Warren).
A total of 10.1 inches of snow fell at the Atlantic City International Airport on the 23rd, establishing a new record for the date. The previous record daily snowfall for January 23rd was 1.2 inches set in 1948.
Some wind gusts include 60 MPH at 0800EST on the 23rd in Pleasantville (Atlantic County), 64 MPH at 0628EST on the 23rd near Strathmere (Cape May), 55 MPH at 0830EST on the 23rd near Fortescue (Cumberland), 54 MPH at 0740EST on the 23rd near Sandy Hook (Monmouth), and 72 MPH at 0649EST on the 23rd at Bayville (Ocean).
A 62-year-old male from East Greenwich (Gloucester County) died from a heart attack on Saturday evening, January 23rd, while he and his wife were walking home after his car got stuck in a snowdrift just up the street from his house.
At one point during the storm, up to 270,000 customers were without power. Outages were concentrated closer to the coast where the strongest winds occurred.
The New Jersey Department of Transportation spent approximately $25 million dollars to clear and maintain the state's highways and roadways. In seeking federal disaster aid, Governor Chris Christie announced the storm cost the state of New Jersey $82.6 million in damages and expenses. Federal Disaster Aid was requested for the following counties Burlington,Camden, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex , Monmouth, Morris, Ocean,Somerset and Warren Counties. The Governor has also requested the Small Business Act provide relief of up to $40K in loans for homeowners and $200K for businesses. In Ocean County the estimated cost is $465,000 for snow removal for overtime pay, fuel and treatment chemicals. On March 15, 2016, President Obama declared the following counties federal disaster areas: Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Somerset, and Warren, in addition to Bergen, Essex, Hudson, and Union counties. This declaration makes federal funding available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation and snow assistance for a continuous 48-hour period during the storm.
Moderate to major flooding occurred along the New Jersey coast and associated back bays during this event. Record flooding was recorded in a few spots, including the ocean front in Cape May. Out of 66 municipalities surveyed for beach and/or dune erosion by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection's Bureau of Coastal Engineering, 28 had minor damage, 21 had moderate damage, and 19 had major damage. The entire Raritan Bayshore suffered minor damage, while moderate damage began appearing in central Monmouth County. Heading south along the coast, the first instance of major damage appeared in Bay Head, Ocean County. A 100 foot flag pole was knocked off it's base in Ocean County due to the strong winds as well. Long Beach Township had to order 1,250 truckloads of sand to replace the lost sand. In addition, a 3.5 mile long steel wall along Brick and Normandy beaches were exposed which closed the beaches. Significant funds will need to be spent to replenish the sand. Damage in Sea Isle City was near $25 M in beach damage. In Burlington County, $4.7 M was spent on snow removal with $279K spent in Evesham and $189K in Mount Laurel.
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie declared a State of Emergency on Friday, January 22nd for the duration of the event. Schools and many businesses recessed early on Friday afternoon in anticipation of the storm. Philadelphia International Airport canceled all Saturday flights, and 155 departures and 133 arrivals scheduled for Sunday.