March snow storms blanket local area

WARWICK — Weather folklore sayings are often accurate and this March was no exception: “It came in like a lion.”
There hadn’t been many snowstorms this winter season until last weekend when local residents had to shovel out from moderate accumulations of one to three inches of snow on Friday, March 1, and again on Saturday, March 2.
But those storms were immediately followed by a more significant one that same weekend.
On Monday, March 4, the heavier snowfall that began after 4 p.m. on Sunday evening left up to eight inches of additional snow cover in the higher elevations.
The storm was fast moving and throughout the weekend town and village crews had been able to quickly clear the roads.
On Saturday the National Weather Service had changed its winter weather advisory for Sunday to a winter storm watch, meaning a potential for significant snow, sleet or ice accumulations that may impact travel. And that did prove true for parts of northeastern New Jersey and areas north and east of Orange County.
That left Warwick residents with snow removal jobs but no serious road closings or power outages. And there were picturesque winter views and fun for the kids.
The rest of the week was clear but it may still be too early to put away the snow shovels and the generators.
In 2018 the first of four major winter storms of the year, described as a cyclone bomb and Nor’easter, also struck the area at the beginning of March.
- Roger Gavan