Snowiest Day On Record: The Day Somerset County Saw Most Snowfall

BASKING RIDGE, NJ — Only a few centenarians may remember April 15, 1921, the day it snowed 76 inches in Boulder County, Colorado. Snowfall records for a single day aren’t quite as impressive in Somerset County, according to an analysis of government weather data.

Historical weather data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows every state in the country, even tropical Hawaii, has seen snow. A February 1936 storm that dumped 6½ inches of snow on Maui was impressive even by Midwest and Northeast standards. The only other time that Hawaii had an extreme snowfall was in December 1958, when the Big Island got 4½ inches.

In Somerset County, the biggest one-day snowfall was on Jan. 23, 2016 when Basking Ridge got nearly three full feet or 30 inches of snow. That is tied for the state's biggest one-day snowfall of 30 inches in Sussex on Jan. 26, 1905.

That compares to records in neighboring counties:

• Union County, 29.8 inches: Dec. 27, 2010 in Westfield
• Middlesex County, 28 inches: Dec. 27, 2010 in South Plainfield
• Morris County, 26 inches: Feb. 7, 1978 in Oak Ridge
• Hunterdon County, 24 inches: Feb. 4, 1961 in Flemington
• Mercer County, 21 inches: March 12, 1988 in Trenton

With two months of winter left, there are plenty of chances to break those records. The Old Farmer’s Almanac predicted a cold, snowy winter throughout much of the United States, with at least seven big snowstorms from one coast to the other.

In New Jersey, the Old Farmer's Almanac calls for it to be wet and warmer than normal. The region "can bank on a slush fund as 'more wet than white' conditions will leave sludgy messes that freeze during the overnights," its forecast says.

The competing Farmers’ Almanac predicts that the eastern two-thirds of the United States can expect a snowy ride through the rest of the winter.

Here in New Jersey, the Farmers' Almanac is at odds with its "old" cousin, forecasting colder-than-normal temperatures and a lot of snow, with the frostiest snap coming during the last week of January and stretching into February. Winter weather will last into April, the "Farmers" say.

In Somerset County, the weather forecast for the next several days is as follows, according to the National Weather Service:

Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 45. Southwest wind 3 to 5 mph.

Thursday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 26. Light northwest wind.

Friday: Partly sunny, with a high near 47. East wind 3 to 6 mph.

Friday Night: Rain likely, mainly after 1 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 33. Chance of precipitation is 60 percent. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Saturday: Rain. High near 41. Chance of precipitation is 90 percent.

Saturday Night: Rain likely before 4 a.m., then a chance of snow. Cloudy, with a low around 34. Chance of precipitation is 60 percent.

Sunday: A chance of snow showers before 7 a.m., then a chance of rain and snow showers between 7 and 10 a.m., then a chance of rain after 10 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 43. Chance of precipitation is 30 percent.

Sunday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 30.

Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 43.

Monday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 27.

Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 43.