The Day Long Branch Saw The Most Snowfall

LONG BRANCH, 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 Long Branch, according to an analysis of government weather data. But the city still holds the record for Monmouth County's highest-recorded snowfall.

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 Monmouth County, the biggest one-day snowfall was 28.4 inches in the Long Branch-Oakhurst area on Dec. 26, 1947. In New Jersey, the highest recorded snowfall was 30 inches — 1905 in Sussex County and 2016 in Somerset County.

Here's how neighboring counties compare:

• Ocean County, 24.5 inches: Dec. 27, 2010
• Middlesex County, 28 inches: Dec. 27, 2010
• Mercer County, 21 inches: March 12, 1888

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 the short term, the seven-day National Weather Service prediction for our area calls for the following:

• Wednesday afternoon: Sunny, with a high near 39. West wind around 5 mph.
• Wednesday night: Mostly clear, with a low around 24. Calm wind becoming west around 5 mph after midnight.
• Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 44. West wind 3 to 5 mph.
• Thursday night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 32. Northwest wind 3 to 5 mph.
• Friday: Partly sunny, with a high near 46. Northeast wind 5 to 9 mph.
• Friday night: Rain likely, mainly after 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 38. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
• Saturday: Rain. High near 46. Breezy. Chance of precipitation is 90%.
• Saturday night: Rain likely, mainly before 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 36. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
• Sunday: A chance of rain and snow showers before 10am, then a chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 44. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
• Sunday night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 32.

With reporting from Tom Davis/Patch

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