New Jersey

This might be New Jersey's snowiest day of the entire winter

Published

1 year ago

November 19, 2024

This might be New Jersey's snowiest day of the entire winter

Let it snow! With each passing week, our weather turns progressively colder. New Jersey’s first snowflakes of the season are now in view. And the Winter Solstice is only a little more than a month away. It is time to start thinking seriously about wintry weather. More specifically: Snow.

Here’s when to expect NJ’s first snow of the season

While pondering the many uses of “bread and milk,” I had a scientific curiosity.

I wondered if there was one day of the year that tends to be snowier than every other date on the calendar for New Jersey. Sure, there is an average “peak” to wintry weather. (In fact, there are three distinct peaks — more on that in a moment.) But can we pinpoint a single day that represents the height of New Jersey’s snow season?

As a matter of fact, yes we can.

Methodology

To complete this analysis, I queried the Applied Climate Information System, a warehouse of weather and climate data.

I specifically looked at exactly 50 years of snowfall data, from 1971 to 2020. (An admittedly arbitrary choice for period of record, but I wanted a healthy spread of snow observations both geographically and temporally.) Approximately 675 weather stations reported snow data in New Jersey in that time frame.

For the purposes of this project, I marked a calendar day as “snowy” if any single weather station in the state reported at least one inch of snowfall on that date.

An inch of snow is more than enough to snarl traffic and force you to drag out the snow brush yet again. (Getty Images / Vadven)

The Snowiest Day

There is actually a definitive answer here. With 24 out of 50 years (1971-2020) reporting snow — just shy of half — February 5th is the winner.

And what a funny coincidence: February 5th is also National Weatherperson’s Day. The most important holiday of the entire year!

Detailed Close-up of Groundhog Sitting up and Looking Left

This is a groundhog. Not a meteorologist. (Louise Wightman)

Second place is February 13th with 23 occurrences. Third is January 21nd at 22. And tied for fourth are January 19th, January 25th, February 4th, and February 6th, all at 21 times in 50 years.

February 9 Snow

During this February 9, 2017 snowstorm, a worker clears the platform at a NJ Transit train station. (NJ Transit)

Digging into the Statistics

We can even take all the years of snow data and create a graph. This shows, for each day of snow season in New Jersey (October 4th to May 9th), the percentage of years from 1971-2020 that at least one inch of snow was reported somewhere in New Jersey.

(Visualization: Dan Zarrow / Google Sheets, Data: ACIS)

Day-to-day variability is to be expected. That is resolved by the red trendline, representing a 14 point (2 week) moving average. There are some definitive patterns noticeable here.

First, I want to point out that the dataset is basically tri-modal. Meaning there are three definitive peaks in snowstorm activity. One little bump in snowy days around mid-December, leading up to the Winter Solstice. Another occurs in mid to late January, matching with the climatologically coldest temperatures of the year — the “dead of winter”. And another peak occurs in early to mid February, including the highest bar on February 5th.

In total, 178 days out of 366 have seen observed inch-plus snow in New Jersey. That is an impressive 49% of the year in which it has snowed here.

October snow has happened on a few occasions in New Jersey, including 2011 shown here. (Getty Images)

Looking at our snow season from start to finish (i.e. left to right on the graph), it is clear that snow can fall in November. But inch-plus snow is pretty rare in NJ until December.

There is a notable minimum value on December 24th. Christmas Eve. Only 4 of the last 50 years have shown an inch of magical Christmas Eve snow. But 11 Christmas Day snow observations have occurred. That strikes me as an odd outlier, and makes me wonder if there’s some observation bias or other funkiness with the reports here.

Christmas snow is especially magical. (Craig Allen photo)

You will notice another data minimum on February 29th, due to Leap Day. 4 out of the 13 February 29ths in the survey period reported snow. That comes to about 30%, in line with other nearby dates in late February and early March.

Finally, it is notable how quickly accumulating snow chances disappear beyond the first day of Spring, around March 21st. Snow in April is about as rare as November, at each tail of the graph.

Spring snow happens from time to time, and can cause damage to budding plants. (FamVeld)

Final Thoughts

Obviously, each winter season is different for New Jersey. And this climatological analysis in no way serves as a short-range or long-range forecast. Just a neat little investigation, proving that common sense largely matches reality when it comes to the timing of peak snow chances in New Jersey.

So stock up on the road salt, wear your pajamas inside-out, and start brewing the hot chocolate. February 5th could be a wintry day!

Let it snow: 12 things to know about winter forecasting in NJ

Gallery Credit: Dan Zarrow

Dan Zarrow is Chief Meteorologist for Townsquare Media New Jersey. Check out Dan’s weather blog or follow him on Facebook for your latest weather forecast updates.

Glossary of NJ winter weather words and phrases

Gallery Credit: Dan Zarrow

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New Jersey

New Jersey swim team left without pool after Wayne Community Center abruptly ends agreement

Published

1 hour ago

May 14, 2026

Press Room

New Jersey swim team left without pool after Wayne Community Center abruptly ends agreement

WAYNE, New Jersey (WABC) — A swim team in New Jersey says it’s getting kicked out of its pool.

The Rebels Aquatic Team says the Wayne Community Center told them the team can no longer use the facility, leaving more than 100 youth swimmers without a pool in the middle of the season.

The team has been using the pool for practices and meets.

The organizers thought they had a five-year commitment based on the contract but found out this week it was not enough to save them a space to use the pool.

The swim club was told this week that they have to shut down on June 24, but their swim season does not conclude until August 5.

The organizers began this effort to get kids into swimming at the height of the COVID lockdowns, and it has grown ever since.

Parents went online after getting word about being booted from the community pool and expressed a lot of frustration.

They have a practice Thursday afternoon and feel their kids are not getting a fair shake from the town.

Eyewitness News reached out to the mayor’s office and the Wayne Department of Recreation, who said they had no comment about this pool controversy.

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New Jersey

Older NJ residents consider leaving as costs rise, survey shows

Published

13 hours ago

May 14, 2026

Press Room

Older NJ residents consider leaving as costs rise, survey shows

New survey data released May 13 suggests affordability pressures are increasingly shaping whether older New Jersey residents stay or leave the state.

More than one-third of residents age 45 and older – 35% – said they have considered leaving New Jersey in the past year, according to a new AARP New Jersey “Vital Voices” survey. Among those weighing a move, 67% said the high cost of living is a primary reason.

The findings come as state lawmakers continue discussions centered on property taxes, utility costs and policies aimed at helping residents age in place.

“New Jersey should be a place where people can afford to grow older, not a place they feel forced to leave,” Chris Widelo, state director of AARP New Jersey, said in a statement. “Right now, rising costs are pushing people out.”

NJ property taxes, utilities driving concern

Affordability pressures extend across multiple key household costs.

Property taxes remain a central concern, with 53% of respondents citing them as a factor in considering leaving the state. The survey also found strong support for the Stay NJ program, which provides eligible homeowners with up to $6,500 in annual property tax relief.

Nearly two-thirds of respondents (65%) said they support keeping the program intact, including maintaining the full benefit.

Rising utility costs are also a growing concern. About 89% of respondents said they are worried about increasing electricity bills, including a majority who said they are “very concerned.”

Support for caregiving relief, transparency

The survey highlights financial and logistical pressures facing caregivers, as more residents provide unpaid care for aging relatives.

More than half – 54% – of adults age 45 and older said they have served as unpaid caregivers. A majority said caregiving costs are a financial concern, and 86% expressed support for a caregiver tax credit.

Respondents also backed greater oversight of long-term care facilities. Strong majorities said they support requirements for nursing homes to disclose ownership, staffing levels and financial arrangements, along with greater transparency in how Medicaid funding is spent.

What it means for NJ budget talks

The findings underscore a broader policy debate in Trenton over how to address affordability challenges while maintaining services.

AARP New Jersey is urging state leaders to prioritize policies that reduce financial strain on older adults, including property tax relief, utility affordability and support for caregivers.

“This survey sends a clear message,” Widelo said. “If New Jersey wants to remain a place where people can age with dignity, we must focus on making it more affordable to stay.”

This story was created by reporter Joe Martino, jmartino@usatodayco.com, with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the information gathering, review, editing and publishing process. Learn more.

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New Jersey

24-year-old elected mayor of NJ town as incumbent faced backlash in wake of massive warehouse fire

Published

1 day ago

May 13, 2026

Press Room

24-year-old elected mayor of NJ town as incumbent faced backlash in wake of massive warehouse fire

BELLEVILLE, New Jersey (WABC) — Frank Vélez, a 24-year-old town councilman, was elected as the new mayor of Belleville, New Jersey, on Tuesday.

Vélez may be young, but he has years of experience after he became involved in politics at 19 because his sister has special needs.

He has served on the school board in Belleville and the town council, and he was on the staff of former congressman Bill Pascrell.

Vélez said his win is a testament to hard work.

“We ran on getting back to the basics, the quality of life. Talking about responsible development and just talking about getting back to the priorities of working people,” Vélez said.

Incumbent Michael Melham faced backlash for his handling of a massive warehouse fire that shut down schools for more than a week.

There has been growing pessimism in town, highlighted by the massive 14-alarm warehouse fire this month that caused residents to evacuate and schools to shut down for days.

Parents and educators wrote a joint letter critical of Melham and school leadership for failing to communicate with parents during the emergency.

“In the hours and days following the fire, our community was left navigating uncertainty with little or no official instruction, resorting to group chats and scavenging social media for guidance or information, both of which should have been provided by the government that we entrust for such tasks,” the letter read in part.

Vélez said he’s ready to get to work.

“I feel grateful. I am humbled, and I’m just- just so ready to get to work as the next mayor of Belleville. And I’m so grateful to everyone for support. This was a resounding victory,” Vélez said.

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