Rare December Thunderstorms Hit Jersey

A rare December thunderstorm surprises New Jersey around 10:30pm on Wednesday, December 21st, 2011. This line of thunderstorms, called a squall line, quickly moved through the region, rapidly changing conditions from a warm calm night to an intense downpour, high winds, and lightning! This squall line, associated with a Cold Front started out in Pennsylvania, but fired up when it hit the warm air over New Jersey.  Before the squall line, the average temperature statewide was in the 60s; afterwards, temperatures dropped to the 40s!

Fort Dix Radar to receive Dual-Polarization Upgrade!

Recently announced, the National Weather Service WSR-88D (weather service radar 1988 Doppler) Radar at Fort Dix in New Jersey will be receiving a Dual-Polarization Upgrade scheduled for January 30th - February 12th!  The Dual-Polarization (Dual-Pole) Upgrade will equip the Fort Dix Radar with the ability to detect hail in thunderstorms, differentiate between rain, snow, and melting snow, better detect patches of heavy rain, and detect debris lofted by significant tornadoes.  Currently we rely on a series of calculations, measurements, and observations to detect snowfall and simply color in radar images to identify those areas experiencing snowfall.  For more information about Dual-Pole, go to http://www.wdtb.noaa.gov/COURSES/DUALPOL/OUTREACH/

Current Doppler Radar vs Dual Polarization Upgrade

RU WeatherWatcher - Nice weather for today, but rain moves in and even a chance of snow by Thursday!