By Len Melisurgo | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

After coping with three major coastal storms that dumped heavy snow and wreaked havoc on power lines across the state, New Jerseyans are now getting socked by a fourth coastal storm. All in March. All in a span of three weeks.

While weather experts say they cannot recall another March in which the Garden State was rocked by this many storms producing as much snow as this month’s nor’easters, they note it’s not unusual for our region to be hit by nasty snowstorms in March and even as late as April.

“March can be a stormy month. Winter conditions still prevail to our north and spring is emerging to our south,” said New Jersey State Climatologist David Robinson, whose office is based at Rutgers University. “Thus we are squeezed between these two distinct thermal regions, providing the energy to generate powerful storms — and often a considerable amount of wind.”

If you combine this annual climate setup with a jet stream that has shifted just to the south of New Jersey — as it has done during the past three weeks — all it takes is a storm system to ride along the jet stream and enough cold air to produce snow, Robinson noted.

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Why March 2018 stands out

So, some snow in the late winter and even in the early spring is not uncommon in New Jersey. What is unusual about March 2018, Robinson said, is the fact that each storm has produced at least a half-foot or more in some areas of the state. Also, one storm generated more than a foot of snow, and one dumped as much as two feet of snow.

Before you curse the weather gods for creating yet another coastal storm this week, take a look at some of the biggest storms ever recorded in the New Jersey region during the months of March and 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."

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This copy photo shows the scene outside TP Howell & Company in Newark during the Great Blizzard of 1888. (The Star Ledger)

Great Blizzard of 1888

The Great Blizzard of 1888 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.

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(NOAA map)

'Storm of the Century' in 1993

This snowstorm pounded New Jersey and other states from March 12 to March 14 in 1993 and was classified as an extreme Category 5 snowstorm.

This was dubbed the "Storm of the Century” and 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.

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(NOAA map)

Big snowstorm in 1960

This nasty storm struck from March 2 to March 5 in 1960 and was classified as a crippling Category 4 snowstorm.

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 areas of South Jersey got 4 to 10 inches.

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Late March snowstorm in 1958

This late-winter storm stretched from March 18 to March 21 in 1958 and was considered a significant Category 2 snowstorm.

Almost the entire Garden State was blasted 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.

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(NOAA map)

April snowstorm in 1982

This was one of the latest significant snowstorms on record in the Garden State, striking on April 6 to April 7 in 1982. The Category 2 snowstorm dumped 4 to 10 inches of snow across most of central and northern New Jersey, with some northern sections getting 10 to 20 inches and most of South Jersey getting only 1 to 4 inches.

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Snow removal efforts in Union Beach after a big snowstorm in March 2013. (Aris Economopoulos | The Star-Ledger)

March snowstorm in 2013

Between March 4 and March 9 in 2013, a significant Category 2 snowstorm hit the eastern U.S. 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.

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(NOAA map)

March snowstorm in 2007

From March 15 to March 18 in 2007, a significant Category 2 snowstorm dumped heavy snow over northeastern Pennsylvania, upstate New York and many New England states, but didn’t hit New Jersey as hard. It still, however, was a big snowmaker for mid-March, dropping 4 to 10 inches in northern counties of the Garden State and 1 to 4 inches in central and southern counties.

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(NOAA map)

March-April snowstorm in 1997

This was another storm that hit New England very hard, dumping 20 to 30 inches of snow over a wide swath up north between March 31 and April 1 in 1997. 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. This storm was ranked as a Category 1 snowstorm, which is considered “notable.”

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(NOAA map)

March snowstorm in 1956

Another Category 1 snowstorm struck on March 18 to March 19 in 1956. New Jersey and Long Island, N.Y., were both hit hard by this storm, which dumped 10 to 20 inches of snow 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.

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(NOAA map)

Early March snowstorm in 2009

From March 1 to March 2 in 2009, a notable Category 1 winter 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.

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A man walks across a snowy street in Newark during a nor'easter on March 14, 2017. (Aris Economopoulos | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

Mid-March snowstorm in 2017

Remember this one, folks? This big nor’easter hit New Jersey just one year ago, on March 14, 2017.

Although it did not turn out to be the monster blizzard that forecasters had predicted, this late-winter snowstorm blanketed parts of North Jersey with more than a foot of snow and made an icy mess in other parts of the region.

Some towns in northwestern New Jersey got hit with as much as 19 to 20 inches of snow. Coastal flooding prompted water rescues near Atlantic City. And winds howled near hurricane force, causing power outages from Bergen to Cape May. This storm was ranked as a major Category 3 snowstorm.

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The first of four March coastal storms in 2018 dumped as much as a foot of snow in hilly areas of New Jersey. (Rob Jennings | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

Worth noting

The first of four coastal storms in March 2018 was ranked as a significant Category 2 winter storm. That one hit New Jersey on March 2, dumping 2 feet of snow in some parts of the state, packing 70 mph winds in South Jersey and causing widespread power outages, some of which lasted a week.

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Len Melisurgo may be reached at LMelisurgo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @LensReality or like him on Facebook. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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