New Brunswick, N.J. (April 13, 2021) – Rutgers University–New Brunswick climatologist David A. Robinson is available for interviews on the dearth of snow in March in New Jersey following a very snowy February, as well as the frequently windy weather and some record heat.
“Snowfall averaged 0.0 inches statewide for only the ninth time for the month of March in the last 127 years, and it was the second March in a row with a zero snow total. Moreover, March 2020 and March 2021 had the only back-to-back zero sums,” said Robinson, New Jersey State Climatologist and a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Geography in the School of Arts and Sciences. “Last month’s lack of snow contrasted sharply with the previous month: the seventh snowiest February since record-keeping began in 1895. The 2020-21 snow season averaged 29.9 inches statewide, ranking as the 42nd snowiest season on record.”
Last month was also quite windy, with 16 days when at least one Rutgers NJ Weather Network station recorded winds gusting to at least 40 mph, according to Robinson. Eleven of those days exceeded 50 mph.
Meanwhile, last month was the 14th mildest March on record, with temperatures averaging 43.9 degrees – 2.9 degrees above the 1991 to 2020 average, according to Robinson. March 26 featured record warmth throughout much of the Northeast, with Sicklerville reaching 85 degrees and the mercury hitting 84 degrees in Egg Harbor Township, Howell, West Deptford and Berkeley Township. Some of the New Jersey records for that day included 82 degrees in New Brunswick, 84 at Newark Liberty International Airport, 83 at Atlantic City International Airport in Pomona and 81 at Atlantic City Marina.
The full “The Wind Doth Blow: March 2021 Recap” report is on Office of the New Jersey State Climatologist website.
Robinson oversees the Rutgers University Global Snow Lab, which includes an internationally recognized database of Northern Hemisphere snow extent throughout the satellite era. He also oversees the Rutgers NJ Weather Network and helps coordinate the New Jersey Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network.
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