8 Years Ago: January 2018 Blizzard

It's hard to believe it was eight years ago already, but on this date in 2018 a very impressive and fast moving blizzard hit the Northeast. This storm brought heavy snow and high winds causing blizzard conditions to much of the area. A widespread 10-20" blanketed an area from coastal New Jersey up through Boston.

This storm was well forecast leading up to January 4th and on the evening of January 3rd preparations were underway as blizzard warnings were posted up and down the East Coast. On the morning of the 4th, low pressure tracked up the Eastern Seaboard and rapidly intensified. A wide swath of snow quickly overspread the region from southeast to northwest. Heavy snow bands rotated into the area during the morning and afternoon. As the system passed over 40N/70W it intensified down to around 950mb, similar to a category 3 hurricane.

This was a fast moving system, that did not stall as it passed over our latitude. As quick as it came in, it was out by mid to late afternoon in most areas. Some light snow did linger into the evening and night across Southern New England. Maximum wind gusts reached to 76mph at Nantucket, MA. However, due to their proximity to the storm, precipitation mainly fell as rain.

The Blizzard of 2018 went down as yet another historic snowstorm to pummel the Northeast in the 2010s. 10-20" fell over most of Southern New England, Southeast New Jersey and Long Island. The storm resulted in over one billion dollars in damages and 22 fatalities.

To see more images related to this event including satellite, radar and more snowfall maps, check it out in our archive here: January 4th, 2018 Blizzard

-JDJ