Work crews have been busy distributing pallets of salt and snow melt at East Coast Salt in Jackson.
* A major winter storm is expected to bring 6 to 10 inches of snow to the Jersey Shore through Monday.
* A winter storm warning is in effect until 7 a.m. Monday, with travel expected to be very difficult.
* Governor Mikie Sherrill has issued a state of emergency and urged residents to stay indoors.
The first snow of today’s major storm has already dropped several inches along the Jersey Shore, with forecasts still expecting between 6 and 10 inches in Ocean and Monmouth counties through Monday, according to the National Weather Service.
A winter storm warning remains in effect until 7 a.m. Monday.
Heavy snow to mixed precipitation is expected throughout the day. Winds will be gusting as high as 35 mph. Accumulations likely of up to 18 inches have been predicted in northern New Jersey and parts of Westchester and New York City.
Travel could be very difficult to impossible, according to the National Weather Service, which adds that hazardous conditions could impact the Monday morning and evening commutes.
“Blizzard like conditions are already taking place in the southern part of the state,” Gov. Mikie Sherrill said early Sunday in the first of a series of radio interviews. “I think people are taking this storm seriously. New Jerseyans are pretty smart cookies and they are staying indoors.”
Sherill issued a state of emergency on Saturday, which will extend through Monday.
Snowfall will likely be very heavy at times this afternoon and evening, with hourly rates potentially exceeding 2 inches per hour. The snow will then taper down, becoming light to moderate after midnight and into Monday morning.
Occasional light snow and blowing snow then continue into Monday afternoon. Temperatures will be very cold throughout this storm, hovering in the upper single digits to teens the entire time, with colder wind chills.
Residents are urged to stay indoors until conditions improve.
Joe Strupp is an award-winning journalist with 35 years’ experience who covers Lakewood, Jackson, and several local communities for APP.com and the Asbury Park Press. He is also the author of four books, including Killing Journalism on the state of the news media, and an adjunct media professor at Rutgers University and Fairleigh Dickinson University. Reach him at [email protected] and at 732-413-3840. Follow him on Twitter and TruthSocial at @joestrupp
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