Weeks after the blizzard, this Haddonfield snow mound still had NJ commuters guessing

If you ever needed proof that New Jersey commuters can turn literally anything into a contest, allow me to present Exhibit A: a dirty mountain of leftover snow in a PATCO parking lot that became a guessing game with actual winners.

After the massive February blizzard dumped up to a couple of feet of snow across parts of the state, one stubborn pile refused to leave the party. Weeks later, while the rest of us had moved on to spring allergies and pothole complaints, this grimy iceberg was still hanging on like the very old SNL sketch "The Thing That Wouldn’t Leave."

At the PATCO Speedline station in Haddonfield, transit officials decided to have some fun with it.

They asked riders to guess the exact day the snow pile would finally melt, offering a small but very Jersey prize: a $20 transit credit.

Ayyy, 20 bucks is 20 bucks. And people actually took it seriously.

Guesses poured in, ranging from early March optimism to “see you in summer” pessimism. Some riders clearly underestimated just how stubborn compacted, dirt-covered snow can be, especially when it’s piled high and insulated like a frozen layer cake of winter misery.

I actually recall our own Chief Meteorologist Dan Zarrow saying some of those parking lot icebergs across New Jersey might hang on until April.

Finally, the big moment came, and Dan was not far off. The snow pile officially melted on March 31. Five riders nailed the exact date and split the bragging rights along with getting their transit prizes.

Honestly, I love this story because it’s quintessential commuting culture. You’re waiting for your train, staring at the same ugly snow mound every day, until someone eventually says, “Let’s make this interesting.”

Only in our area do we turn seasonal annoyance into a game show.

Also, let’s be honest: after the winter we just had, correctly predicting when snow would finally disappear might qualify as a meteorology degree. Oh, and in case you’re wondering, as explained on nj.com, the rule was all snow and ice had to be 100% completely gone but wet pavement could remain.

So congratulations to the winners. You didn’t just beat the odds, you beat New Jersey winter.

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Jeff Deminski only.

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