Just because we're getting closer to spring doesn't rule out the possibility of a sizable snowstorm in New Jersey. Watch video
For most New Jerseyans, the light snow that fell from the sky Friday morning was not much more than a nuisance.
But each of those little snowflakes, and every windshield that had to be cleared, was a little reminder that the Garden State is not immune to snowstorms in March, or even as late as April.
An even bigger reminder was the Great Blizzard of 1888, which is considered to be one of the most destructive, and deadly, snowstorms on record in U.S. history. That storm clobbered parts of New Jersey, New York and other Northeast states with 20 to as much as 60 inches of snow between March 11 and March 14.
That wasn't the only big late-season snowstorm to affect New Jersey.
Here's a look at nine substantial snowstorms since the 1950s that hit the Garden State during the months of March or April. Each of these is considered a "high impact" storm by the National Centers for Environmental Information (formerly known as the National Climatic Data Center), the agency that keeps records on every major storm. And some are classified as "extreme" or "crippling."
The rankings are based on each storm's severity, overall impact on the Northeast region, and the size of the population that was affected.
March 12-14, 1993 - Category 5 snowstorm (extreme)
This storm, which was dubbed the "Storm of the Century, was ranked as the highest-impact snowstorm ever to affect the Northeast region of the United States in modern times. More than half of New Jersey was blanketed by 10 to 20 inches of snow, with small pockets of 20 to 30 inches in far northern sections of the state. Elsewhere, heavy snow fell from Tennessee all the way up north to the Canadian border.
March 2-5, 1960 - Category 4 snowstorm (crippling)
Almost all of northern and central New Jersey was hit with 10 to 20 inches of snow during this storm, with some northern towns getting as much as 20 to 30 inches. Most of South Jersey got 4 to 10 inches.
Residents of Dover dig out after a snowstorm hit New Jersey in early March 2009. (Robert Sciarrino | The Star-Ledger) March 18-21, 1958 - Category 2 snowstorm (significant)
Almost the entire state was hit with 10 to 20 inches of snow, and most of Sussex County got as much as 20 to 30 inches. Some sections of the Jersey Shore received 4 to 10 inches.
April 6-7, 1982 - Category 2 snowstorm (significant)
Most of central and northern New Jersey got 4 to 10 inches in this storm, with some northern sections getting 10 to 20 and most of South Jersey getting only 1 to 4 inches.
March 4-9, 2013 - Category 2 snowstorm (significant)
This storm was more severe in Virginia, West Virginia and New England, but it brought 4 to 10 inches of snow over the northern half of New Jersey and less than 4 inches over the state's southern half.
March 15-18, 2007 - Category 2 snowstorm (significant)
This storm dumped heavier snow over northeastern Pennsylvania, upstate New York and many New England states than it did in New Jersey, which had 4 to 10 inches in its northern counties and 1 to 4 inches in central and southern counties.
March 31 - April 1, 1997 - Category 1 snowstorm (notable)
This was another storm that hit New England very hard, dumping 20 to 30 inches over a wide swath up north. Some parts of northern New Jersey were blanketed with 10 to 20 inches, but most of central and southern New Jersey got either 1 to 4 inches or 4 to 10 inches.
March 18-19, 1956 - Category 1 snowstorm (notable)
New Jersey and Long Island, N.Y., were both hit hard by this storm, which dumped 10 to 20 inches over northern and central New Jersey and 4 to 10 inches over South Jersey, with some pockets of 20 to 30 inches in the Morris County area.
March 1-3, 2009 - Category 1 snowstorm (notable)
This storm dropped 4 to 10 inches of snow across the entire Garden State, with some pockets of 10 to 20 inches along the Shore and in parts of South Jersey.
Readers: If you have photos of any of these snowstorms and would like to share them with us, please post them in the comments section or email them to LMelisurgo@njadvancemedia.com, so we can add them to our gallery.
Len Melisurgo may be reached at LMelisurgo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @LensReality. Find NJ.com on Facebook.