A storm that was expected to bring the first meaningful snowfall of the season to parts of North Jersey on Dec. 2 fell short of early projections, as warmer ocean air cut into temperatures and turned precipitation into cold rain for most of the region, according to local weather observers.“It’s too early in the season,” said Bob Ziff of the North Jersey Observers. “To have any kind of substantial snowfall, we need deep cold air in place which we didn’t have and a storm positioned off the coast to pull dow...
A storm that was expected to bring the first meaningful snowfall of the season to parts of North Jersey on Dec. 2 fell short of early projections, as warmer ocean air cut into temperatures and turned precipitation into cold rain for most of the region, according to local weather observers.
“It’s too early in the season,” said Bob Ziff of the North Jersey Observers. “To have any kind of substantial snowfall, we need deep cold air in place which we didn’t have and a storm positioned off the coast to pull down even more cold air and moisture.”
Instead, the storm tracked from the Southwest and hugged the shoreline, pulling in milder marine air that kept most communities above freezing. That setup favored higher-elevation areas farther from the ocean, such as the Poconos and upstate New York, which saw accumulating snow while North Jersey saw mostly rain.
Netcong got 1.6 inches for the most in the region, according to the National Weather Service Mount Holly. Stewartsville recorded measurable snowfall locally, picking up about half an inch before a shift in wind direction brought in warmer ocean air and quickly changed the snow to rain, according to Ziff.
NJ snow totals and inch counts
Some more snow totals include:
Wantage was originally projected for 5 inches and 4 for West Milford the day before the storm. Some Bergen County towns were expected to see 0.5 to 1 inch but instead just got rain.
December snow in NJ over the years
December snowfall in North Jersey averages about 4.5 inches. Last December finished below normal with 3.4 inches, despite below-normal temperatures and above-normal precipitation.
The region’s snowiest December on record came in 2010, when 18.1 inches fell 18 inches of it during the Dec. 26–27 blizzard, including 11 inches on the first day of the storm. The snowiest December day on record remains Dec. 30, 2000, when 13.5 inches fell.
Early-season snowfall on today’s date is relatively uncommon. The daily records stand at 2.1 inches for Dec. 2, set in 2019, and 1.5 inches for Dec. 3, set in 1983.
Ziff said the region will need colder air entrenched before future storms can deliver more substantial snowfall. “Until that happens,” he said, “storms that come up the coast are more likely to give us rain than snow.”
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