The first widespread major snowstorm of the season blanketed New Jersey, especially the northern half,  with heavy snow. In the northern half of the state, it was the heaviest snow since the Blizzard of 1996. The snow began between 3 and 5 a.m. EST across most of the state and fell heavy at times during the morning. As the low intensified during the afternoon, its heavy snow shield expanded and slowed. The low was too far north during the afternoon to drop heavy snow across the southern half of the state, but the snow fell even heavier across the northern half. Snowfall rates of 2 to 3 inches per hour were occurring across the Raritan Basin and this increased to 4 inches per hour during thunderstorms in Sussex and Morris Counties. Accumulations across the southern half of the state were mainly between 4 and 12 inches. But in the northern half, they ranged from about a foot to 30 inches in the Hamburg Mountains of Sussex County. The 15 inches of snow that accumulated in New Brunswick was the 10th heaviest snow on record. Amtrak canceled its Metroliner Service between Washington D.C. and New York City. New Jersey Transit canceled bus service in the northern half of the state. New Jersey Transit had about 20 minute rail delays on their line. Businesses and malls either closed early, or never opened, especially in the northern half of the state.  The number of accidents were relatively low given this snow occurred on a Saturday morning.  Most of the injuries occurred from heart attacks caused by shoveling the heavy snow, snow blower accidents and slip and fall accidents. The snow was powdery and nature. Thus few tree limbs and wires were pulled down. GPU Energy reported only 5,500 customers lost power in Northwest  and Central New Jersey.In Sussex County, a countywide state of emergency was declared at 3 p.m. EST. Cars and even plows were sliding off the roads. In Morris County, a Parsippany Police Officer was struck and injured by a moving vehicle. A jackknifed tractor trailer caused lane closures on Interstate 80 in Denville. In Somerset County, the heavy snow forced the closure of a few roads. In Middlesex County, a Red Cross shelter was opened for residents of a Spotswood trailer park when the heavy snow blocked their exhaust pipes.  The snow was so heavy in Perth Amboy, they were dumping it into Raritan Bay. A snow emergency was declared in Princeton (Mercer County). In Gloucester County, State Route 42 was closed after a vehicle struck a traffic light.  Sussex County (11 to 30 inches), Morris County (14 to 25.5 inches) and Somerset County (12 to 25 inches) received the heaviest snow. Specific accumulations included 30 inches in Mountain Creek (Sussex County), 25.5 inches in Randolph Township (Morris County), 25 inches in Sussex and Highland Lakes (Sussex County) and Somerset (Somerset County), 24 inches in Marcella, Rockaway and Morris Townships (all Morris County), 22 inches in Barry Lake (Sussex County) and Basking Ridge (Somerset County), 19.8 inches in Whitehouse Station (Hunterdon County), 18.1 inches in Belle Mead (Somerset County), 17.5 inches in Milltown (Middlesex County), 15 inches in East Windsor (Mercer County) and New Brunswick (Middlesex County), 14 inches in Neptune and Middletown (Monmouth County), 12.5 inches in Brick Township (Ocean Township), 12 inches in Stewartsville and Washington (Warren County), Yardville (Mercer County) and Jackson Township (Ocean County), 11 inches in Bordentown (Burlington County), 10 inches in Browns Mills (Burlington County), 9.5 inches in Tabernacle (Burlington County), 8 inches in Williamstown (Gloucester County), Haddonfield and Pennsauken (Camden County), 7 inches in Voorhees (Camden County) and at the Atlantic City International Airport, 6 inches in Bridgeton (Cumberland County) and Margate (Atlantic County), 5 inches in Upper Township (Cape May County) and 4 inches in Atlantic City (Atlantic County) and Salem and Pennsville (Salem County). The low pressure system responsible for the heavy snow developed just east of Elizabeth City, North Carolina during the evening of the 29th. By 5 a.m. EST it was located about 75 miles east of Cape Charles, Virginia and by 9 a.m. EST it was located about 50 miles east of Delaware Bay Buoy. At this point, the low started to intensify more rapidly and by 5 p.m. EST on the 30th as it crossed the Twin Forks of Long Island, it had dropped to a 992 Mb low, a 10 millibar drop in an eight hour period.

Heavy Snow in EASTERN ATLANTIC, NEW JERSEY
From 30-DEC-00 03:00:00 to 30-DEC-00 18:00:00 (EST)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

Heavy Snow in EASTERN CAPE MAY, NEW JERSEY
From 30-DEC-00 03:00:00 to 30-DEC-00 18:00:00 (EST)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

Heavy Snow in EASTERN MONMOUTH, NEW JERSEY
From 30-DEC-00 05:00:00 to 30-DEC-00 21:00:00 (EST)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

Heavy Snow in MORRIS, NEW JERSEY
From 30-DEC-00 05:00:00 to 30-DEC-00 21:00:00 (EST)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

Heavy Snow in EASTERN OCEAN, NEW JERSEY
From 30-DEC-00 05:00:00 to 30-DEC-00 21:00:00 (EST)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

Heavy Snow in GLOUCESTER, NEW JERSEY
From 30-DEC-00 03:30:00 to 30-DEC-00 21:00:00 (EST)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

Heavy Snow in SOMERSET, NEW JERSEY
From 30-DEC-00 05:00:00 to 30-DEC-00 21:00:00 (EST)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

Heavy Snow in SUSSEX, NEW JERSEY
From 30-DEC-00 04:30:00 to 30-DEC-00 21:00:00 (EST)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

Heavy Snow in WARREN, NEW JERSEY
From 30-DEC-00 04:30:00 to 30-DEC-00 21:00:00 (EST)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

Heavy Snow in WESTERN ATLANTIC, NEW JERSEY
From 30-DEC-00 03:00:00 to 30-DEC-00 18:00:00 (EST)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

Heavy Snow in WESTERN CAPE MAY, NEW JERSEY
From 30-DEC-00 03:00:00 to 30-DEC-00 18:00:00 (EST)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

Heavy Snow in WESTERN MONMOUTH, NEW JERSEY
From 30-DEC-00 04:00:00 to 30-DEC-00 21:00:00 (EST)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

Heavy Snow in WESTERN OCEAN, NEW JERSEY
From 30-DEC-00 05:00:00 to 30-DEC-00 21:00:00 (EST)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

Heavy Snow in HUNTERDON, NEW JERSEY
From 30-DEC-00 04:30:00 to 30-DEC-00 21:00:00 (EST)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

Heavy Snow in MERCER, NEW JERSEY
From 30-DEC-00 04:00:00 to 30-DEC-00 21:00:00 (EST)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

Heavy Snow in MIDDLESEX, NEW JERSEY
From 30-DEC-00 05:00:00 to 30-DEC-00 21:00:00 (EST)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

Heavy Snow in BURLINGTON, NEW JERSEY
From 30-DEC-00 04:00:00 to 30-DEC-00 21:00:00 (EST)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

Heavy Snow in CAMDEN, NEW JERSEY
From 30-DEC-00 04:00:00 to 30-DEC-00 21:00:00 (EST)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

Heavy Snow in CUMBERLAND, NEW JERSEY
From 30-DEC-00 03:00:00 to 30-DEC-00 18:00:00 (EST)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER