Perhaps the title of this report is a bit overstated when it comes to February weather conditions, but not by all that much. However, like much of the coterminous United States, it applies rather appropriately to the December 2023–February 2024 winter. New Jersey’s winter conditions follow at the end of this report, with February discussed first.

The first month of 2024 provided a potpourri of weather happenings, including excessive rainfall and flooding, multiple snowfalls, frequent strong winds, frigid days, occasional warmth, and culminating with persistent dismal (aka damp, cloudy) conditions. Something for anyone or perhaps not favored conditions for most people. Totaling up the multiple precipitation episodes, this month emerged as the 6th wettest January on record dating back to 1895 (Table 1). It was the wettest January in 25 years and follows this past December, which was the wettest on record.

Abnormal conditions were seemingly the norm cross the Garden State during the second month of 2023 and, for that matter, during much of the winter (December–February). More on winter later in this report. First, focusing on February, milder-than-normal temperatures and limited snowfall were the rule, a short-lived frigid blast was followed by 70° warmth, and the most notable February tornado of at least the past 74 years touched down.

January 2023 was unlike most any first month of the year a New Jersey resident has experienced. Temperatures were similar to those normally seen in March and accumulating snowfall was meager in the north and non-existent further south. NJ weather was more like that of the piedmont of North and South Carolina at this time of year. The statewide average temperature of 41.0° was 9.3° above the 1991–2020 normal and ties with 1932 as the mildest January since records commenced in 1895 (Table 1). The average high of 48.9° was 8.6° above normal, ranking 2nd mildest.

As has so often been the situation in 2022, December’s weather never settled into any persistent pattern. Unless, of course, a pattern of frequent variations constitutes persistence! In any case, it seems appropriate to co-label this combined monthly and annual report as intervals in search of identities!

The second month of 2022 and third month of winter continued a theme since December. Whether you call it a see saw, swing, or merry-go-round, it fits the theme of playground equipment as it never seemed any one particular variety of weather became established for all that long. More will be said about winter at the end of this report, but when it came to February, the end result was a somewhat warmer-than-normal month with about average precipitation and a dearth of snowfall.

When it comes to cold and snow, the second month of winter wasn’t anything like the first. New Jersey was right in the heart of winter to start off 2022, and nowhere was that more apparent than in southern coastal counties where far more than an average winter’s snow fell. At some locations, the total exceeded that of the most recent three winters combined. The prevailing storm track was such that the northwest corner of the state received the least snow, yet saw seven days with low temperatures dipping below zero.

February Overview