I was 7 years old during the winter of 2000-01, and have a vague recollection of blizzard conditions during a certain storm. It was either 12/30/00, or 2/5/01. The former had a very sharp cutoff just to my west.
One of the great 20th century winters that I wish I was alive for. NJ's record peak snow depth of 52" was actually set at the Canistear Reservoir coop after the February storm. They also picked up 56" in just three weeks during that brutal stretch from mid January to early February, and nearly 105" for the season overall according to xmacis2. Pretty remarkable even by 2010s standards.