Timeline–Weather Observations–Blizzard of 2016
Below is a timeline on the Blizzard of 2016 constructed from observations made from Friday afternoon, January 22nd to Sunday afternoon, January 24th.
January 22, 2016
6:30 PM–Getting ready to go to basketball game between Metuchen and Bishop Ahr. No snow falling yet. Forecast accumulation, 12 to 18 inches according to local TV station out of NYC.
8:15 PM–Game just ended at Bishop Ahr in North Edison. No snow falling yet.
8:30 PM–Just arrived home. Still no snow falling yet.
10:11 PM–Snow has been falling for a little while now. Have a coating on the ground already.
10:30 PM–Now in the center of town taking video and pictures of the storm. Snow falling moderately. About an inch of accumulation already.
10:45 PM–Return to the house. Checked the latest forecast info from Eastern Pennsylvania Weather Authority via Facebook, and they have updated their snow total forecast to 18 to 24 inches for much of Middlesex County and Central Jersey.
January 23, 2016
4:47 AM–Woke up to the sound of the wind outside. Things have picked up significantly. Pressure is down to 29.82 inches of Hg (Mercury). Looked outside, and the snow is falling heavily right now with blowing and drifting as well. At least several inches has fallen.
5:02 AM–Submitted a Weather OBS to NJWO. Barometer has fallen another 0.03 inches to 29.79 inches. Winds sustained at 15 to 20 miles per hour with gusts up to 35. Near white out conditions outside. Temperature down to 23 degrees.
5:49 AM–Checked the Weather Station at GWC. Temperature has risen a degree to 24 degrees. Barometer has risen a tick to 29.80 inches of Hg. Winds sustained at 15 mph.
6:10 AM–Checked Weather Station at GWC again. Temperature still steady at 24 degrees, but the barometer has fallen another 0.03 inches to 29.77. Winds sustained between 15 and 20 mph.
6:46 AM–Another look at the GWC Weather Station. Barometer continues to fall, and at a bit more rapid pace. Now down to 29.71 inches of Hg. A drop of 0.06 inches in just the last 35 minutes or so. Temperature still steady at 24 degrees. There appears to be a dry slot approaching the area from the south on the radar and satellite imagery from local TV.
7:24 AM–White out conditions outside. Barometer holding steady at 29.71 inches after rising a bit to 29.72 inches of Hg. Temperature is up to 25 degrees. Winds sustained at 10 to 15 mph with gusts up to 30 mph.
10:06 AM–Pressure has fallen again. Barometer now down to 29.66 inches of Hg. Winds now sustained between 20 to 30 miles per hour. Temperature up to 26 degrees. Heavy snow. Blowing and drifting.
12:01 PM–Now in the brunt of the storm. Pressure down to 29.58 inches of Hg. Temperature up to 27 degrees. Heavy snow with blowing and drifting. Winds now gusting between 45 and 50 mph.
12:37 PM–Winds sustained between 25 and 35 mph with gusts in upwards of 55 mph. Barometer has risen slightly to 29.60 inches of Hg. Temperature steady at 27 degrees. First official measurement of the snow has 10.5 inches here at GWC in South Plainfield. Still have heavy snow with blowing and drifting.
1:33 PM–Did another measurement of the snow. This time, it was done in the front of the house while the previous measurement was done in the backyard. This time, there was a snowfall total of 17 inches. Barometer is holding steady at 29.58 inches of Hg. Temperature remains steady at 27 degrees. Winds sustained at 10 to 15 mph.
2:33 PM–Stepped outside for another measurement of the snow in the front of the house. Now up to 18.5 inches of snow. Had a wind gust of about 40 mph earlier. Pressure has been steady at 29.60 inches. Temperature steady at 27 degrees.
4:47 PM–Just came in from doing another measurement outside. At GWC in South Plainfield, there is roughly 21 inches of snow. Barometer is rising at 29.63 inches. Winds still pretty strong sustained between 15 to 25 mph with gusts over 30 mph. Still have moderate to heavy snow with blowing and drifting. Temperature has gone down to 25 degrees.
8:39 PM–Snow tapering off. The snowfall intensity is much lighter than it was earlier. Temperature steady at 25 degrees. Winds still strong at 20 to 40 mph. Pressure continues to rise at 29.68 inches of Hg.
10:52 PM–Snow has stopped falling here at GWC in South Plainfield. Winds are still gusting between 40 and 45 mph at times. Barometer has been rising at 29.69 inches of Hg. Temperature up slightly to 26 degrees. Final snowfall total approximately 24.8 inches.
January 24, 2016
12:35 AM–No residual snow since the last entry. There is still some blowing snow. Winds sustained at 10 to 15 mph with gusts over 30 mph. Barometric pressure continues to rise at 29.74 inches of Hg. Temperature up a little more to 27 degrees.
10:00 AM–Woke up a little while ago. Skies have cleared out and it is bright and sunny outside.
12:41 PM–One last check for the weather station shows the temperature is up to 31 degrees with little or now wind, and the barometer is steady at 29.94 inches. Pressure has risen 0.36 inches since the low pressure from the blizzard made its closest approach on Saturday afternoon.