Regional Snow Totals: Two Feet Common, Sharp Coastal and Western Drop-Offs
Blizzard warnings have been lifted, but snowfall totals topping two feet, school closures, delayed government openings, and altered trash schedules continue to shape recovery efforts across Central Jersey.
Outdoor patio furniture buried under more than a foot of snow as the February 2026 blizzard swept across Central Jersey. (The Central Jerseyan)
Chris Howell | February 23, 2026
Blizzard warnings have been lifted, but the final snowfall map tells a more dramatic story than the advisories ever did. The February 2026 storm carved a sharp east-to-west divide across Central Jersey, burying parts of Union, Monmouth and northern Ocean counties under more than two feet of snow while communities farther west saw totals taper by nearly half.
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At Newark Airport, official measurements reached 27.2 inches.
Just miles away, towns across Union County reported 20 inches or more. Cranford recorded 21 inches, and Westfield recorded 20 inches. Even within Clark, reports ranged from 14.9 to 18.5 inches, highlighting localized banding differences.
Monmouth County saw similarly intense totals. Strathmore reached 26.5 inches, while Freehold, Middletown, and Cream Ridge were near 25 inches. Howell and Colts Neck hovered around 24 inches, reinforcing the inland Monmouth jackpot zone.
Northern Ocean County remained close behind. Bayville reported 25.8 inches, Jackson around 25 inches, and Lakewood 24 inches. Yet coastal communities saw a sharp drop: Point Pleasant Beach recorded just 11.5 inches, nearly half the totals only 15–20 miles inland.
Middlesex County ranged widely. Perth Amboy reached about 25 inches, while Fords, Iselin, and Concordia were near 22–23 inches. Edison and Metuchen measured 17–18 inches, and South River around 15.5 inches, showing significant intra-county variability.
Somerset County marked a clear western taper. Green Brook Township reported 18.5 inches, Middlebush 18 inches, and Warren 17 inches. But totals declined steadily westward, with Somerville at 13.4 inches and Bernardsville just 11.1 inches, representing a nearly 7-inch swing within the same county.
Further west in Hunterdon County, the drop-off was even more pronounced, with Flemington at 13 inches and Ringoes at 9 inches.
The storm’s footprint reveals a classic coastal banding setup: extreme totals in the northeast corridor, sharp gradients near the Shore, and a steady weakening toward the Delaware River Valley.
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