A protracted winter storm with a one-two punch affected nearly all of New Jersey from the early morning of the 26th into the early morning of the 27th. The first phase of the storm affected the southeast part of the state the least,  while the second phase of the storm affected all of the state. Snowfall rates of 2 to 4 inches per hour along with thundersnow occurred during the evening of the 26th. Snow and sleet accumulations reached 12 to 18 inches in southwest New Jersey and the Passaic and Raritan Basins with lesser amounts elsewhere, especially toward and along the southeast coast.
Across southwest New Jersey, precipitation began as snow at the start of the morning commute on the 26th. The snow changed to rain during the late morning. Precipitation became spottier during the mid day hours. Steadier rain started again late in the afternoon on the 26th and changed to heavy sleet during the early evening. The sleet changed to snow by 8 p.m. EST and fell heavy at times around Midnight EST on the 27th. The snow ended around 3 a.m. EST on the 27th. Across southeast New Jersey, precipitation began as snow at the start of the morning commute on the 26th. The snow changed to rain during the morning. Precipitation became spottier during the mid day hours. Steadier rain started again late in the afternoon on the 26th and changed to sleet and then snow during the evening. The snow fell heavy at times during the late evening. The snow ended around 4 a.m. EST on the 27th. Across northern New Jersey, north of Interstate 195, snow spread north between 5 a.m. and 9 a.m. EST on the 26th. The snow fell heavy at times in the Raritan Basin during the morning and several inches accumulated by Noon EST. Precipitation became spottier during the afternoon and mixed with sleet, freezing rain  and rain at times south of Interstate 80. Steadier precipitation, which fell as or changed the precipitation back to snow started during the early evening on the 26th. The snow fell heavy at times from mid evening until a little after Midnight EST on the 27th. The snow ended around 4 a.m. EST on the 27th.
The one-two punch hit central and southwest New Jersey the hardest. Many municipalities declared snow emergencies. There were more than three dozen accidents during the morning of the 26th in the Philadelphia suburbs and included major roadways New Jersey State Routes 42 and 55 and Interstate 295. There was an eleven vehicle accident on the Atlantic City Expressway. In one accident, in Gloucester Township (Camden County), a police officer was injured while investigating another accident on College Drive.  In central New Jersey, Franklin Township (Somerset County) police along responded to 60 calls between 630 a.m. EST and 1230 p.m. EST on the 26th. Many schools throughout the state dismissed early  and cancelled after school activities.

As bad as conditions were during the morning of the 26th, they became worse when the second punch of even heavier snow came through starting on the evening of the 26th. Snowfall rates reached 2 to 4 inches per hour. State Police responded to over 150 incidents on major roadways and interstates throughout the state. Many of them were disabled or jack-knifed tractor trailers that became stuck on entrance and exit ramps. The weight of the snow also downed trees and tree limbs which blocked roadways and caused over 25,000 homes and businesses lost power. Hardest hit were Burlington and Camden Counties. Many schools and County Colleges were closed on the 27th. Princeton University was also closed. Numerous county courts and or municipal offices were either closed, or opened late. New Jersey State Offices were open two hours late. Most New Jersey Transit bus lines were not operating on the morning of the 27th. The River Rail Line ran on a Sunday Schedule. Garbage and recycling pick-ups were postponed.
In Salem County, State Road 49 was closed for most of the event. In Gloucester County, a disabled tractor-trailer forced the closure of U.S. Route 322 in Woolwich Township. In Camden County, a downed tree blocked a lane of Interstate 295 in Bellmawr. In Burlington County, a downed tree forced lane closures on U.S. Route 206 in Bordentown. In both Burlington and Camden Counties, there were numerous entrance and exit ramps to Interstates 295 and 676 that were closed because of disabled vehicles. In Mercer County, in Princeton Township, a driver was injured after driving into a pole. The township municipal building was used as a shelter. In Somerset County, in Montgomery Township, a commercial building collapsed from the weight of the snow. In Middlesex County, the 30.4 inches of snow to date in New Brunswick established a new record for the month of January. Plainsboro and South Brunswick Township police responded to over 120 calls of assistance. Some county schools were also closed on the 28th. In Sussex County, over 20 vehicles drove off roadways, the most in Sparta Township.  The continued onslaught of winter weather was causing numerous municipalities to exhaust their snow removal budgets. The heavy snow also took its toll on plows as many needed to be repaired after this event.

Representative snowfall included 17.7 inches in Hillsborough (Somerset County), 17.5 inches in Edison (Middlesex County) and North Holmdel (Monmouth County), 17.2 inches in Gibbstown (Gloucester County), 17.1 inches in Princeton (Mercer County), 16.2 inches in Clinton (Hunterdon County) and Red Bank (Monmouth County), 15.7 inches in Metuchen (Middlesex County), 15.5 inches in Stewartsville (Warren County), 15.2 inches in Ewing (Mercer County), 15.0 inches in Lambertville (Hunterdon County), 14.0 inches in Maple Shade (Burlington County), Phillipsburg (Warren County) and Morristown (Morris County), 13.7 inches in Florence (Burlington County), 13.2 inches in Bridgewater (Somerset County),  12.8 inches in Somerdale (Camden County), 12.1 inches in Cream Ridge (Monmouth County), 9.9 inches in Tabernacle (Burlington County), 9.0 inches in Marcella (Morris County) and Whiting (Ocean County), 8.9 inches in Sparta (Sussex County), 8.0 inches in Malaga (Gloucester County), 7.2 inches in Vineland (Cumberland County), 6.9 inches in Newton (Sussex County), 6.5 inches in Carneys Point (Salem County), 4.0 inches in Ship Bottom (Ocean County) and Quinton (Salem County), 3.6 inches in Estell Manor (Atlantic County), 3.4 inches at the Atlantic City International Airport, 2.0 inches in Woodbine (Cape May County) and 0.9 inches in Cape May (Cape May County). The onshore flow associated with the winter storm caused pockets of minor tidal flooding along the oceanfront during the early morning high tide on the 27th. The high tide at Atlantic City (Atlantic County) reached 6.15 feet above mean lower low water. Minor tidal flooding begins at 6.0 feet above mean lower low water.
The latest winter storm was caused by a low pressure system that emerged from the western Gulf of Mexico on the 25th and moved northeast to Cape Hatteras, North Carolina at 7 a.m. EST on the 26th. From there it turned slightly more to the northnortheast and passed through the Delmarva coastal waters during the afternoon and early evening on the 26th and then continued northeast and passed just south of Cape Cod, Massachusetts early on the 27th. The turn more toward the coast permitted some warmer air to reach into central and southern New Jersey during the day on the 26th. The heavy snow burst was triggered by the surface low's upper air support that passed through the state on the night of the 26th.

Winter Weather in EASTERN CAPE MAY, NEW JERSEY
From 26-JAN-11 22:00:00 to 27-JAN-11 04:00:00 (EST-5)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Winter Weather in WESTERN CAPE MAY, NEW JERSEY
From 26-JAN-11 22:00:00 to 27-JAN-11 04:00:00 (EST-5)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Winter Weather in EASTERN ATLANTIC, NEW JERSEY
From 26-JAN-11 22:00:00 to 27-JAN-11 04:00:00 (EST-5)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Winter Storm in WARREN, NEW JERSEY
From 26-JAN-11 07:00:00 to 27-JAN-11 03:00:00 (EST-5)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Winter Storm in MORRIS, NEW JERSEY
From 26-JAN-11 07:00:00 to 27-JAN-11 04:00:00 (EST-5)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Winter Storm in HUNTERDON, NEW JERSEY
From 26-JAN-11 06:00:00 to 27-JAN-11 03:00:00 (EST-5)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Winter Storm in SOMERSET, NEW JERSEY
From 26-JAN-11 06:00:00 to 27-JAN-11 03:00:00 (EST-5)
Property damage: 100.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Winter Storm in MIDDLESEX, NEW JERSEY
From 26-JAN-11 06:00:00 to 27-JAN-11 03:00:00 (EST-5)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Heavy Snow in SUSSEX, NEW JERSEY
From 26-JAN-11 08:00:00 to 27-JAN-11 03:00:00 (EST-5)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Winter Storm in WESTERN MONMOUTH, NEW JERSEY
From 26-JAN-11 06:00:00 to 27-JAN-11 04:00:00 (EST-5)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Winter Storm in EASTERN MONMOUTH, NEW JERSEY
From 26-JAN-11 06:00:00 to 27-JAN-11 04:00:00 (EST-5)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Winter Storm in WESTERN OCEAN, NEW JERSEY
From 26-JAN-11 05:00:00 to 27-JAN-11 04:00:00 (EST-5)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Winter Storm in EASTERN OCEAN, NEW JERSEY
From 26-JAN-11 05:00:00 to 27-JAN-11 04:00:00 (EST-5)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Winter Storm in MERCER, NEW JERSEY
From 26-JAN-11 05:00:00 to 27-JAN-11 04:00:00 (EST-5)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Winter Storm in NORTHWESTERN BURLINGTON, NEW JERSEY
From 26-JAN-11 05:00:00 to 27-JAN-11 04:00:00 (EST-5)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Winter Storm in CAMDEN, NEW JERSEY
From 26-JAN-11 05:00:00 to 27-JAN-11 03:30:00 (EST-5)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Winter Storm in GLOUCESTER, NEW JERSEY
From 26-JAN-11 05:00:00 to 27-JAN-11 03:00:00 (EST-5)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Winter Storm in SALEM, NEW JERSEY
From 26-JAN-11 04:00:00 to 27-JAN-11 03:00:00 (EST-5)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Winter Storm in SOUTHEASTERN BURLINGTON, NEW JERSEY
From 26-JAN-11 05:00:00 to 27-JAN-11 04:00:00 (EST-5)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Winter Storm in CUMBERLAND, NEW JERSEY
From 26-JAN-11 04:00:00 to 27-JAN-11 04:00:00 (EST-5)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Winter Storm in WESTERN ATLANTIC, NEW JERSEY
From 26-JAN-11 05:00:00 to 27-JAN-11 04:00:00 (EST-5)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Trained Spotter