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 March 7-8, 1996

STORM DESCRIPTION Two frontal waves along strong cold front brought a mix of ice and snow to New Jersey.  More local seasonal snowfall totals were broken in this storm, as in the previous two. Synoptic Discussion A cold front moved through the area on the 6th.  A very large arctic high pressure system centered over the high plains slowly oozed cold air into New Jersey behind it.  At the same time, a series of low pressures developed along the cold front.  The first low developed over the southern Appalachians during the morning of the 7th and moved northeast.  The second low developed off the Mid-Atlantic coast on the evening of the 7th and moved northeast as well. Local Discussion The first period of significant precipitation began during the morning of the 7th and ended during the evening.  It fell mainly as snow in Sussex County, as a mixture of snow, sleet, and freezing rain in Warren, Morris, and northwestern Passaic counties, and mainly as sleet and freezing rain in Hunterdon, Somerset, Union, Essex, southeastern Passaic, and Bergen counties.  Areas further south and east saw mainly rain.  The second period of precipitation began just after midnight on the 8th and ended by noon.  The passage of the first low pressure had caused northwest winds to bring enough cold air into the state for the second period to fall entirely as snow across the entire state.  Storm total accumulations ranged from around 10 inches in Sussex County, to 4 to 8 inches in Warren, Passaic, and Morris counties, 4 to 7 inches in Hunterdon County, 4 to 5 inches in Bergen, Hudson, Essex, and Union counties, and 3 to 5 inches from Mercer, Somerset, and Middlesex counties southwards through the rest of the state.

New Jersey Snowfall Totals

Individual Snowfall Totals from March 7-8, 1996

Regional Snowfall Totals

Snow Totals from 2200Z 8 March 1996 (5PM EST 8 March 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

Snow storm, November 28-29, 1995 Snow storm, December 9, 1995 Snow and ice storm, December 14, 1995 Snow storm, December 16, 1995 Snow and ice storm, December 18-20, 1995 Ice storm, January 2-3, 1996 Blizzard, January 7-8, 1996 Snow and ice storm, January 12, 1996 Snow storm, February 2-3, 1996 Snow storm, February 16-17, 1996 Snow storm, March 2, 1996 Snow and ice storm, March 7-8, 1996 Snow storm, April 9-10, 1996 Back to Ray's Winter Storm Archive

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