12/16-12/17 Godzilla: Final Snow Map & Obsevations

One thing that I’ve learned is people’s attention is always drawn to the high-end number of a snow forecast range and they tend to fixate on it (can’t tell you how many times I’ve told a friend or co-worker we’re getting 6-10” and after we get 6” they say ‘you said we were gonna get 10”!’)
Looking at Frank’s map, I think most people are at or very close to at least the low-ends. Maybe the 6-10 could have extended further into NW NJ where it dry slotted and sleeted - but even there I was forecast at 8-12 and got around 7”, so I call that close enough. On the whole though, I think the low-end forecasts for this storm ended up being pretty close to on-target for most people.

Still have a light snow falling here as we start to get some daylight.

NWS Mt Holly snow reports (many of these don’t account for anything that fell overnight or this morning, but it captures the bulk of the accumulation):
Hunterdon County...
White House Station          6.5 in    0848 PM 12/16   Trained Spotter      
Flemington                   6.0 in    1121 PM 12/16   Public              
Stanton                      5.6 in    1151 PM 12/16   Trained Spotter      
1 WSW Three Bridges          5.0 in    0755 PM 12/16

...Mercer County...
Princeton                    6.4 in    0900 PM 12/16   Public              
Ewing                        5.5 in    1100 PM 12/16   Public              
Pennington                   5.5 in    0900 PM 12/16   Trained Spotter      
1 WSW Ewing                  5.0 in    0744 PM 12/16   Trained Spotter      
Hamilton Twp                 4.0 in    1138 PM 12/16   Trained Spotter      
2 SSE Hamilton Twp           4.0 in    0956 PM 12/16   Public

...Middlesex County...
Perth Amboy                  9.0 in    0455 AM 12/17   Public              
Carteret                     7.5 in    1245 AM 12/17   Trained Spotter      
1 SSW Plainsboro Township    7.4 in    1100 PM 12/16   NWS Employee        
Edison                       7.0 in    1145 PM 12/16   Trained Spotter      
Port Reading                 7.0 in    0955 PM 12/16   Trained Spotter      
East Brunswick               5.9 in    0920 PM 12/16   Trained Spotter      
3 NNE East Windsor Twp       5.5 in    0900 PM 12/16   Trained Spotter      
1 NNE Parlin                 5.0 in    1015 PM 12/16   Trained Spotter      
North Brunswick              5.0 in    0830 PM 12/16   Trained Spotter      
Old Bridge                   5.0 in    0815 PM 12/16   Public              
Metuchen                     4.6 in    0840 PM 12/16   Public              
South Plainfield             4.5 in    0920 PM 12/16   Trained Spotter      


...Monmouth County...
Freehold                     7.2 in    0930 PM 12/16   Public              
Colts Neck                   7.1 in    1010 PM 12/16   Trained Spotter      
Holmdel                      7.0 in    0900 PM 12/16   Trained Spotter      
Hazlet                       6.5 in    1000 PM 12/16   Public              
2 ENE Perrineville           6.3 in    0300 AM 12/17   Trained Spotter      
Freehold Twp                 6.2 in    1015 PM 12/16   Trained Spotter      
Howell                       6.1 in    0830 PM 12/16   Public              
Manalapan Twp                6.0 in    1000 PM 12/16   Trained Spotter      
1 S Howell                   6.0 in    0605 PM 12/16   Public              
Rumson                       5.5 in    0830 PM 12/16   Public              
1 N Eatontown                4.5 in    0910 PM 12/16   Trained Spotter      
Leonardo                     4.0 in    0945 PM 12/16   Public              
Matawan                      4.0 in    0920 PM 12/16   Amateur Radio        
Middletown                   4.0 in    0824 PM 12/16

...Morris County...
Landing                      8.0 in    0900 PM 12/16   Public              
Chester                      7.5 in    1000 PM 12/16   Public              
Mendham                      6.8 in    1100 PM 12/16   Public              
Milton                       6.5 in    1059 PM 12/16   Trained Spotter      
Marcella                     6.3 in    1200 AM 12/17   Public              
Butler                       6.2 in    1000 PM 12/16   Trained Spotter      
Lake Hopatcong               6.1 in    1010 PM 12/16   Public              
Florham Park                 5.9 in    1030 PM 12/16   Trained Spotter      
Randolph                     5.5 in    0127 AM 12/17   Cocorahs            
Denville                     5.0 in    0820 PM 12/16   Broadcast Media      
Kinnelon                     5.0 in    1142 AM 12/16   Public

...Ocean County...
Jackson                      7.0 in    0900 PM 12/16   Public              
Lakewood                     5.5 in    0920 PM 12/16   Trained Spotter      

...Somerset County...
Bridgewater                  7.0 in    0430 AM 12/17   Trained Spotter      
2 SSE Far Hills              7.0 in    0730 PM 12/16   Public              
North Plainfield             4.8 in    1030 PM 12/16   Trained Spotter      
Hillsborough Twp             4.8 in    0830 PM 12/16   Trained Spotter

...Sussex County...
3 N Pellettown               9.6 in    0315 AM 12/17   Trained Spotter      
High Point                   8.0 in    1230 AM 12/17   Trained Spotter      
Green Twp                    7.9 in    0915 PM 12/16   Public

Welp I did get a coating, this counts right? LOL

What a storm. I just peeped outside and still light snow going on. Close to 8 inches. I am happy. Enjoyed the storm.

Just got back inside after snow blowing out my walkway and both my neighbors. I received 6.5”. Currently snowing lightly.

Just saw on Twitter the official measurement in Central Park is 10 inches

Light snow, 25 degrees, gusty.Drifts all over here.I am eyeballing 12 to 13 inches but will wait for the trained spotter in Monroe for the official tally.Very happy with the dry slot and brief graupel/sleet changeover CP mentioned to get this.Looks like a White Christmas this year, a welcome gift after this miserable year.

How western, central and eastern LI do? How doc/cp do? How Monmouth county do? Trying to get a read...

Southwestern suffolk LI here about 4.5 inches here....crazy windy right now 26 and snowing again

5" in Deer Park out in Suffolk County. Currently a snow shower and 25.7 degrees.

Frank_Wx wrote:How western, central and eastern LI do? How doc/cp do? How Monmouth county do? Trying to get a read...

Posted right above this one Frank.Damian N of me estimates 14.Waiting for the Governor of the Hudson Valley, CP, to send in his total.

8" I believe have not taken an official slanty stick measurement but still blowing and snowing moderately. Not the 12-16" but hey ANY SNOW IS GOOD SNOW!!
Mother Nature always has a lesson to teach in nature, engineering, physics and life - go with it.
We did our best here and got peeps prepared - great work overall here.

I'm hearing CENRAL PARK MADE AN OFFICIAL MEASURE OF 10" ... depending on DeBlasio's algorithm button he presses it may change!!!

Any see the Binghamton region?? 41"!!!!!!

And Williamsport, PA had their highest snowstorm on record over 100 years.

Impressive.

Next chance? Around Christmas. pic.twitter.com/eDkIQYaRR6

— Doc (@DocTooch) December 17, 2020

billg315 wrote:One thing that I’ve learned is people’s attention is always drawn to the high-end number of a snow forecast range and they tend to fixate on it (can’t tell you how many times I’ve told a friend or co-worker we’re getting 6-10” and after we get 6” they say ‘you said we were gonna get 10”!’)
Looking at Frank’s map, I think most people are at or very close to at least the low-ends. Maybe the 6-10 could have extended further into NW NJ where it dry slotted and sleeted - but even there I was forecast at 8-12 and got around 7”, so I call that close enough. On the whole though, I think the low-end forecasts for this storm ended up being pretty close to on-target for most people.

I know people call bust when who this time last week who saw a storm of the magnitude coming????
Our fearless leader nailed it once again!! KUDOS to Frank!

The widespread Godzilla did not come to be, but this certainly was a Mothrazilla for the board. I believe the low end of my ranges from my snow map verified, but there will be some big busts where I had 12-18 and only 6-10 actually fell. That’s mainly in NW NJ.

The surface low did stay off the coast, whereas models leading up had it tracking west of Delaware into SW NJ, but the 500, 700 and 850mb lows were directly over or just north of our area. That’s what caused the mid level warmth and NASTY dry slotting. The Pacific pattern did not support a favorably positioned trough. Further, our blocking to the north was not truly locked in. It was more of a pseudo block. We’re actually lucky we got the snow amounts that we did. Mother Nature threw us a bone...

Plenty of winter to go.

Ray, you nailed the storms overall makeup and behavior. I think the low tracked more east than you predicted, but the outcome largely worked with your analysis. Your video and knowledge share during the chat were second to none, thank you!

Around 9” even if it was a “bust” this was a joy to see in a year so bad

8.2" was the total here. Warm nose about 800 mb is my guess on what caused the taint. NAM did sniff that out quite well.

Allentown PA recorded 9.2" and the swamp they officially measure PHL snowfall recorded 6.3" All and all not too shabby for December.

It was paper thin but there was.a fraction of too much warm air aloft last night which caused sleet in NNJ cutting totals down by at least 4 inches I estimate...look at this sounding dancing right on the freezing line between 850 and 700mb.. pic.twitter.com/HzzgjHjw14

— Will C (@weatherwilly) December 17, 2020

amugs wrote:

It was paper thin but there was.a fraction of too much warm air aloft last night which caused sleet in NNJ cutting totals down by at least 4 inches I estimate...look at this sounding dancing right on the freezing line between 850 and 700mb.. pic.twitter.com/HzzgjHjw14

— Will C (@weatherwilly) December 17, 2020

Thanks for that. I think definitely in that altitude. The 850s and 700s themselves were < 32 for the duration of the event.

Just measured 6.75 layer of ice under the fresh snow I had to break the ruler through. Still snowing. Very windy now. I am happy. 25.5*

21.2° and moderate snow.

I haven't been officially to the snowboard yet but it looks like it's at the 11.5 inch mark although I can't tell for sure from inside, so I should make or exceed that foot which was my minimum criteria for this storm.

Okay with it but not ecstatic either. It met the minimum and so far hasn;t even passed last December 2nd storm here.

Not sure about that 10 inches people are talking about at the Park. The last official I've seen was the 6.5 inches from the 1:00 am update.

8.25" here in east northport. (Northwest suffolk county) Good work to all the forecasters, what a crazy storm!

I think the trajectory of the storm was part of the reason for the taint, but I also noticed that the High weakened and was not as stout. It moved a bit northward too.

21 with some very light snow, picked up 16, just about what I was expecting. Jackpot was Binghamton to Albany. Some incredible totals up there and insane hourly snowfall rates of 5 per hour.