The record
Everything the slot carries, as measured. Series arrays are drawn above and listed here in full.
| Event typeevent_type | Cold/Wind Chill |
|---|---|
| NOAA NCEI event IDncei_event_id | 5,384,147 |
| Episode IDepisode_id | 1,165,654 |
| Begin UTCbegin_utc | 2004-01-15T17:00:00+00:00 |
| End UTCend_utc | 2004-01-16T17:00:00+00:00 |
| Statestate | NEW JERSEY |
| County/zone typecz_type | Z |
| County/zone namecz_name | WESTERN OCEAN |
| Deaths directdeaths_direct | 0 |
| Deaths indirectdeaths_indirect | 0 |
| Injuries directinjuries_direct | 0 |
| Injuries indirectinjuries_indirect | 0 |
| Weather forecast office sourcewfo_source | AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC |
| Episode narrativeepisode_narrative | Following the departing Alberta Clipper low pressure system, another arctic air mass invaded New Jersey. While temperatures were slightly higher than the previous outbreak on the 10th and 11th, winds were stronger and the wind chill factors were lower. Most low temperatures were in the single numbers (They were some readings below zero in northwest New Jersey) and the lowest hourly wind chill factors averaged around twenty degrees below zero. This second arctic outbreak set some gas usage records for area utilities. The unseasonably cold weather was a dangerous situation for the homeless as well as for the elderly who could not afford to heat their homes. There was another dramatic increase in phone calls to social services by individuals who have run out of heat or could not afford to pay their utility bills. Public Service Electric and Gas set a new natural gas usage record of 2,429 million decatherm breaking the old record of 2,425 million decatherms on January 23, 2003. The cold weather caused additional schools and community centers to be opened as shelters. Many municipalities declared code blues to assist the homeless. Teams went outside to locate homeless people and get them to shelters. The unseasonably cold weather caused many pipes to freeze and burst both inside and outside of structures as well as a higher occurrence of water main breaks. Plumbers and heating repair services had twenty-four hours worth of work. In Northwest New Jersey the cold weather caused many schools, universities and daycare centers to have delayed openings. The cold weather also led to another increase in workload in hospital emergency rooms. Fire fighters were having problems battling blazes as the water quickly turned to ice. In some instances the water was freezing in hoses and the trucks. Fire fighters were injured slipping and falling on the ice. There was a higher incidence of chimney fires and a general shortage of firewood. Many vehicles were not starting because of dead batteries. Ferry service between Monmouth County and New York City had to be cancelled because of excessive ice in Raritan Bay and the Hudson River. Commuters had to take buses instead.Specific low temperatures included 9 degrees below zero in High Point (Sussex County), 4 degrees below zero in Long Valley (Morris County), 3 degrees below zero in Allamuchy (Warren County) and Newton (Sussex County), 1 degree below zero in Flemington (Hunterdon County), Far Hills (Somerset County) and Chatham (Morris County), zero in Hightstown (Mercer County) and New Brunswick (Middlesex County), 1 degree in Freehold (Monmouth County) and Belle Mead (Somerset County), 2 degrees in Mount Holly (Burlington County), 4 degrees at the Atlantic City International Airport and Somerdale (Camden County), 5 degrees in Harvey Cedars (Ocean County), 7 degrees in Williamstown (Gloucester County), 8 degrees in Millville (Cumberland County) and Woodstown (Salem County) and 9 degrees in Woodbine (Cape May County). The arctic air mass came barreling behind the departing Alberta Clipper low pressure system on the 15th. The low deepened explosively as it moved offshore and the pressure gradient between it and the building high pressure system brought the lowest wind chill factors of the winter into New Jersey. The high pressure ridge moved from the Red River and Upper Mississippi Valleys on the morning of the 15th, to the Great Lakes and nearby Canada on the morning of the 16th and into Pennsylvania and New York on the morning of the 17th. The core of the coldest air moved through the region during the night of the 15th with the lowest temperatures occurring between Midnight EST and 6 a.m. EST on the 16th. Lowest hourly wind chill factors included 23 degrees below zero in Belmar (Monmouth County), 22 degrees below zero at the McGuire Air Force Base (Burlington County), 21 degrees below zero in Andover (Sussex County), 19 degrees below zero in Trenton (Mercer County) and 13 degrees below zero at the Atlantic City International Airport. This second arctic outbreak cemented January as an unseasonably cold month. At the Atlantic City International Airport, the January monthly mean temperature was 26.8 degrees, 5.3 degrees colder than normal. It was not only the 9th coldest January on record, but also the coldest January since 1985. |
| Yearyear | 2,004 |
Provenance
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Storage: spine