First snow of season could fall in parts of N.J. after much-needed rain

Some areas of New Jersey may get a little taste of winter this week, with light snow showers possible in high-elevation areas as temperatures turn colder.
Forecasters from the National Weather Service say some snow may fall late Thursday night into early Friday morning in the hills of Sussex County, where the mercury is expected to drop to about 32 degrees after a large storm system brings a much-needed soaking of rain.
The weather service says it’s also possible some snowflakes may mix in with the rain in lower-elevation areas of the Garden State.
While no snow accumulations are expected in New Jersey, parts of northeastern Pennsylvania could end up with as much as 3 to 6 inches of snow by the end of this week, according to forecasters from AccuWeather.
The average date of New Jersey’s first snow of the season varies from region to region, but it tends to be in early December.
In the Newark area, the average date of the first measurable snow — one-tenth of an inch or higher — is Dec. 7, in New Brunswick it’s Dec. 8 and in Atlantic City it’s Dec. 19.
In the Sussex area, the average date is Dec. 2, although the snowfall data there is not as complete as it is in the other areas.
Every once in a while, northern and central New Jersey will see a light coating of snow on the ground as early as late October, and sometimes South Jersey sees its first coating in November. There have been rare occasions in which the first coating of snow didn’t occur until January or February.
The storm system that will be sweeping across New Jersey late Wednesday through midday Friday is expected to bring 1 to 1.25 inches of rain in northern New Jersey, a half-inch of rain in Central Jersey and up to a half-inch of rain south of Atlantic City.
The rain is desperately needed to help make a dent in the huge rainfall deficit New Jersey has experienced during the past three months.
Data from the weather service shows the state needs as much as 9 to 11 inches of rain to get back to normal levels and to help replenish rivers, streams and lakes that are running far below their typical capacity in the autumn season.
Most of the Garden State is experiencing a severe drought, and a wide swath of South Jersey is experiencing an extreme drought, which is even more rare and more serious than a severe drought.
The state Department of Environmental Protection last week declared a drought warning in New Jersey amid an unprecedented wave of dry weather that has led to shrinking water supplies and an outbreak of wildfires.
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Len Melisurgo may be reached at [email protected] or on X at @LensReality.