Snowfall breaks daily records in Pa., Del. and N.J.

Large parts of the mid-Atlantic region woke up to over a foot of snow Monday morning, blanketing cars and coating trees and power lines. The snowfall has broken daily records in Atlantic City, Philadelphia, Trenton and Wilmington, but meteorologists say seasonal records are unlikely to fall.

Eric Hoeflich, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Mount Holly, New Jersey, said that while the storm dumped the most snow the Philadelphia region has seen in years, its impacts are “not too uncommon” for the strong nor’easters the region tends to see this time of year.

“This was a textbook winter storm,” Hoeflich said.

What snowfall records in the Philadelphia region have been broken so far?

Trenton and Wilmington broke daily records for Feb. 22 last set in 2001. Trenton got 7.9 inches of snow Sunday, and Wilmington recorded 5.4 inches.

Philadelphia and Atlantic City have already broken daily records for Feb. 23 set in 1987, with over 7 inches of snow falling Monday morning alone. As of 1 p.m., the snow depth neared 17 inches in Atlantic City and 14 inches in Philadelphia.

But Hoeflich does not expect this snowstorm will break any long-term records in the Philadelphia region for total snowfall during a single storm.

The forecast office in Mount Holly recorded 20 inches of snow as of late Monday morning. As much as 19 inches have been reported in areas of Sussex County, Delaware, and over 2 feet have been reported in parts of Monmouth and Middlesex County, New Jersey. The National Weather Service does not track long-term records at these locations.

Hoeflich said total snowfall over the course of this winter — over 16 inches in Atlantic City, 22 inches in Philadelphia, 21 inches in Wilmington and nearly 35 inches in Trenton as of Sunday night — likely won’t come close to long-term records, which top 70 inches in some places, set during the winters of 1996 and 2010.

“We’re not breaking any records, but we’ll probably end up with above-normal snowfall for the entire winter,” Hoeflich said.

When will the snow stop falling?

The wind and snow come from a winter storm that formed off the coast of the Outer Banks of North Carolina and Virginia, moved up the East Coast and is now moving out to sea, Hoeflich said.

New Jersey felt the brunt of the strong winds and heavy snow because of its closer proximity to the center of the storm, he said. Hoeflich expects the heavy snowfall near the Jersey Shore to taper off Monday afternoon, stopping between 3 and 5 p.m.

In Wilmington and Philadelphia, the National Weather Service is forecasting a chance of snow through the afternoon, falling to 0% after 4 p.m.

Coastal flooding is possible in low-lying areas along shorelines and tidal waterways in Delaware and New Jersey through 5 p.m. Monday.

The Philadelphia area should catch a break Tuesday, but more snow is possible later this week.