New Jersey is preparing to welcome spring after a frigid, snowy winter that residents say felt endless.

The winter will be remembered for its blizzard, extended cold, ice and even tornado warnings.

“It was brutal,” said John and Trish Hamm of Neptune. “My coat is tired of me.”

“We walked every day we could on the boardwalk when nobody was here,” Trish added.

Even before winter officially began, snow blanketed the state in December, setting the tone for one of the longest stretches of unrelenting cold in recent memory.

At Matt’s Farm Market, Ellen Everett worked on a flower display.

“People are really excited to see the flowers, see the color. They just want to get past all the bleakness of all the snow,” she said.

With the New Year came more storms and a cold snap that lasted nearly 15 days.

Darby Tarrant spent the last day of winter at the family-owned Eastern Lines Surf Shop.

“Jack Frost was sitting here all winter long. We want Memorial Day, beach, people outside having a good time!” she said.

At Belmar Borough Hall, residents picked up their 2026 season beach badges to usher in spring. The borough has already sold more than 2,500 badges, with plenty remaining.

The February blizzard, which dumped 15 to 30 inches of snow on the state, left behind massive mounds that have since shrunk into frozen remnants of a winter many say overstayed its welcome.

“It’s over, time for you to hide and go away,” Tarrant said.