Winter weather is coming: When to expect NJ snow season to begin

Believe it or not, New Jersey's snow season has already begun. Since detailed recordkeeping began in 1895, measurable snow has been recorded in the Garden State in 8 of the 12 months of the year, from October to May. So here we go — get the snow shovels, road salts, sleds, and heavy coats ready! Another Jersey winter is just around the corner.

Of course, each year brings us a completely different flavor of wintry weather, ranging from cold and snowy to dry and mild. We are in the middle of a stretch of rather uneventful and "boring" winters, with generally below normal seasonal snowfall totals. It has been a while since a widespread "big snow storm" has hit the entire state. But you know it is just a matter of time before we get buried once again.

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Last Year / Recent Years

According to the Office of the New Jersey State Climatologist at Rutgers University, the winter of 2024-25 brought a total of 11 two-inch snow events to New Jersey.

The first occurred the week before Thanksgiving, November 21-22, 2024. And it was surprisingly the biggest of the year, burying parts of Sussex County in up to 20 inches of snow. Six North Jersey counties recorded measurable snow accumulations. The rest of the state would have to wait until late December or early January for the first snowfall of the season.

A year prior, the 2023-24 snow season kicked off on December 11. New Jersey's first accumulating snow event of the 2022-23 season was also on December 11. In 2021-22, up to two inches of fresh snow fell on Christmas Eve (December 24) in North Jersey to mark the first of the year. And going farther back, wintry weather struck early in 2020-21 with a rare pre-Halloween October 30 snow.

This is Not a "Forecast"

To be clear, the purpose of this article is not to present a short-term, plan-your-week kind of weather forecast. Instead, I like to do an annual deep dive into some facts, statistics, and big storms based on our state's historical snowfall record. So you know what to expect and can plan your winter season accordingly.

To be even clearer, the "answer" to the headline of this article? On average, for most of the state, New Jersey's first snow event of the season usually occurs around mid to late December. Right around the actual Winter Solstice. (Keep reading for more.)

Dan Zarrow is Chief Meteorologist for Townsquare Media New Jersey. Check out Dan's weather blog or follow him on Facebook for your latest weather forecast updates.