The violent winter storm that has been throwing snow in New Jersey for more than a day has dropped enough snow in a large city to break the daily snow record, according to the National Weather Service.
Newark Liberty International Airport was covered with 14 inches of snow on Monday, breaking the airport’s daily snow record on February 1, which was 7.5 inches on this date in 1957, said the New York regional office of the meteorological service.
Newark also picked up 2.2 inches of snow on Sunday, so total storms as of now are at least 16.2 inches, with some snowstorms still falling on Monday night.
Meanwhile, forecasters are aiming for a much larger record – an elusive one that has remained strong for almost 122 years: the biggest snowstorm of all time in New Jersey.
That distinction belongs to the city of Cape May, where 34 inches of snow fell during a multi-day storm that ran from February 11 to February 14, 1899. Since that time, no snowstorm in Garden State has generated so much snow, although some have come very close.
Now all eyes are on the northeastern current, which has already shed a great deal of snow in parts of northern New Jersey.
Late Monday evening, the National Weather Service’s Mount Holly forecasting office received reports of 30 inches of ground snow in Mendham, Morris County, and 28.3 inches of snow in Sparta, County Sussex.
It is quite possible for several inches of snow to fall overnight, so meteorologists at the Mount Holly office are paying close attention to the long-standing record, said Jonathan O’Brien, a meteorologist at the office.
However, even if a snowfall report over 34 inches reaches the National Weather Service, it would not be declared an all-time state record unless it undergoes a strict verification process, according to O ‘ Brien and New Jersey state climatologist David Robinson, whose office at Rutgers University oversees the state’s climate data and records.
O’Brien said that all snow totals reported to the weather service are considered preliminary until confirmed. And Robinson said that any snowfall report for something as significant as a statewide record would undergo a lot of scrutiny according to procedures established by the National Environmental Information Centers, formerly known as the National Climate Data Center.
Robinson said the process involves determining the procedure used by the weather watcher, or “observer”, who reported the measurement of snowfall, and ensuring that the procedure meets the appropriate standards for measuring snow.
It is not something that climate and climate experts take lightly, noted Robinson.
So if you happen to see a picture on social media of someone holding a measuring tape showing 35 inches of snow somewhere in New Jersey, don’t think it’s a new record of all time. It still had to be verified.
Current weather radar
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Len Melisurgo can be found at [email protected].