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
National Surface Weather Maps - Pressure and Fronts Only
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 20-21, 2001

STORM DESCRIPTION
Heavy snow fell over the northern sections while a mix of snow and sleet fell on central and southern regions as a storm system moved across the region.

Synoptic Discussion
A vigorous upper air disturbance moved eastward from the Ohio Valley towards New Jersey on the evening of the 20th, just as a low pressure system was intensifying off the coast.  Both systems moved east-northeastward during the early morning hours of the 21st and had passed the state by daybreak.

Local Discusion
Light intermittent precipitation in the form of rain, freezing rain, sleet, and snow developed across the state on the afternoon of the 20th, giving some areas up to 0.1 inches of ice accrual.  During the evening as the upper disturbance approached, steady, heavy precipitation developed mainly in the form of snow, and precipitation had changed to all snow across the state by midnight.  The heaviest snow fell in northern sections of the state, and tapered off not long after daybreak on the 21st.  Snowfall totals were 7 to 10 inches in Warren and Sussex counties, 4 to 8 inches in Huterdon, Morris, and Passaic counties, 4 to 6 inches in Mercer, Middlesex, Somerset, Union, Essex, Hudson, and Bergen counties, 2 to 5 inches in Monmouth, Burlington, Camden, and Gloucester counties, 1 to 4 inches in Ocean County, 1 to 3 inches in Atlantic, Cumberland, and Salem counties, and up to 1 inch in Cape May County.



New Jersey Snowfall Totals

Individual Snowfall Totals from January 20-21, 2001



Table of Contents

Storm Summary
Regional Surface Observations
National Weather Service Forecasts
Surface Maps
Satellite Imagery
National Surface Weather Maps - Pressure and Fronts Only
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, December 19-20, 2000
Snow storm, December 22, 2000
Snow storm, December 30, 2000
Snow storm, January 5, 2001
Snow and ice storm, January 20-21, 2001
Snow storm, February 5, 2001
Snow storm, February 22, 2001
Snow and ice storm, March 4-6, 2001

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