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The Tri-State area experienced its first snowfall of the season, with higher elevation areas in northwest New Jersey and in Orange and Sullivan counties in New York receiving impressive amounts of snow. West Milford in Passaic County, New Jersey, woke up to seven and a half inches of snow, while Monroe, an Orange County community in New York, saw more than half a foot of snowfall overnight.
The snowfall was predicted by weather forecasters who noted that the first snowflakes of the season could fall in parts of northwestern New Jersey and northeastern Pennsylvania after a batch of much-needed rain arrived and temperatures dropped near the freezing mark according to NJ.com.
The snowfall has resulted in several school districts either closing or delaying openings. Forecasters predict that some of the higher elevation areas could still receive a few more inches of snow throughout the day.
This early snowfall is relatively rare, with historical data from the Office of the New Jersey State Climatologist at Rutgers revealing that the past few winters have seen the state’s first measurable snow around mid-December according to NorthJersey.com.