Storm description, surface observations, snowfall totals, and images courtesy of the National Climatic Data Center, the National Centers of Environmental Prediction, the Climate Prediction Center, the Hydrometeorological Prediction Center, the Mount Holly National Weather Service Office, the Upton National Weather Service Office, Rutgers University, Plymouth State University, the University of Illinois, the American Meteorological Society, Weather Graphics Technologies, AccuWeather, and the Weather Channel.

Table of Contents Storm Summary Regional Surface Observations National Weather Service Forecasts Surface Maps Satellite Imagery Sea Level Pressure and 1000 to 500 Millibar Thickness Maps 850 Millibar Maps 700 Millibar Maps 500 Millibar Maps 300 Millibar Maps 200 Millibar Maps National Radar Imagery Local Radar Imagery Fort Dix Doppler Radar Imagery

Contoured Snowfall Totals from January 2-3, 1996

STORM DESCRIPTION A Gulf Coast low caused a mixture of ice and snow to fall across central and northern New Jersey.  While heavy snow fell in the northwestern sections, elsewhere warm air from the Atlantic prevented another heavy snowstorm. Synoptic Discussion Low pressure developed over the Gulf Coast states on the 2nd and moved through New Jersey early on the 3rd.  By the evening of the 3rd it was off the New England coast. Local Discussion Precipitation overspread the state during the morning of the 2nd, starting as rain in all but the northwestern sections of the state, where it began as snow.  As the day went on, cold northeasterly winds caused precipitation to change from rain to snow across northeastern New Jersey and the higher elevations of west central New Jersey, while only mixing with snow at the lower elevations in other central sections.  During the evening, warm air at mid-levels caused the snow to change to sleet and freezing rain.  Rain also changed to freezing rain and sleet in lower elevations of central New Jersey during the evening due to the continued cold northeasterly winds at the surface, while precipitation remained all rain in the southern sections of the state.  The heaviest precipitation fell during the afternoon and evening of the 2nd, but light precipitation (mainly in the form of freezing drizzle) persisted into the morning of the 3rd.  Accumulations of snow reached 6 inches in Sussex and Morris counties, while they reached 1 to 4 inches in Bergen, Passaic, Hudson, Union, Essex, Warren, Hunterdon, and Somerset counties.  Further south in most of Mercer and Middlesex counties, little snow fell with with up to 1/2 of an inch of ice accrual.

New Jersey Snowfall Totals

Individual Snowfall Totals from January 2-3, 1996

Regional Snowfall Totals

Snow Totals from 0000Z 4 January 1996 (7PM EST 3 January 1996)

Table of Contents Storm Summary Regional Surface Observations National Weather Service Forecasts Surface Maps Satellite Imagery Sea Level Pressure and 1000 to 500 Millibar Thickness Maps 850 Millibar Maps 700 Millibar Maps 500 Millibar Maps 300 Millibar Maps 200 Millibar Maps National Radar Imagery Local Radar Imagery Fort Dix Doppler Radar Imagery

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