A nasty winter storm, predicted to drop more than a foot of snow in parts of New Jersey, is on track Thursday morning and is expected to increase in intensity during the next few hours, packing winds that could get strong enough to snap tree limbs.
The fast-moving storm, which started bringing light snow to northern sections of the state around 3 a.m., has also generated a steady batch of sleet and rain in central and southern counties, where temperatures have been struggling to drop below the freezing mark.
“There definitely is a sharp transition right now between the northern part of the state and the New Jersey Turnpike region,” said Chad Shafer, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s regional forecast office in Mount Holly. “Temperatures are in the low to mid-30s in the I-95 corridor,” and still in the 40s in parts of South Jersey, like Millville and Cape May, where the weather service received some reports of lightning this morning.
What to expect on roads and transit
Shafer said it could take a few more hours for the rain to change to snow in South Jersey, but the transition to snow in most areas of Central Jersey should occur by 7 a.m.
The longer transition to snow will keep snowfall totals lower than expected from the region south of Philadelphia, Mercer County and Monmouth County, Shafer said. There also are some concerns for some coastal flooding from Ocean County and south during the morning high tide.
In North Jersey, heavy snow was falling at Sussex County Airport at 5 a.m., and light snow was reported in Morristown, Somerville, Newark and Teterboro. By the time the storm system works its way out into the Atlantic Ocean and curves up toward Long Island and New England, it is expected to dump as much as a foot of snow across a large region of northern and central New Jersey.
Early this morning, forecasters from the National Weather Service are sticking fairly close to the snowfall projections they made on Wednesday: 8 to 12 inches from Middlesex and Somerset counties up to the northern end of the state, 6 to 8 inches in Mercer, Monmouth and northern Ocean, 4 to 6 inches in Camden and Burlington, and 3 to 4 inches further south, with only an inch or less in coastal sections of Atlantic and Cape May counties.
This map from the National Weather Service shows the agency’s updated snow projections for most of New Jersey on Thursday. Counties in northeastern New Jersey are included in the map below. (National Weather Service)
Warnings and advisories
Winter storm warnings are in effect for 18 of New Jersey’s 21 counties now through 4 p.m. Thursday, while winter weather advisories are active for Atlantic, Cape May and Cumberland counties from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday.
Winter storm warnings are also active for New York City and Nassau County, and a blizzard warning is in effect for Suffolk County, where as much as 14 to 18 inches of snow could fall and winds can gust as high as 45 mph.
A wind advisory was issued early Thursday morning for areas of New Jersey south and east of Interstate 95, effective through 6 p.m.
During the afternoon in New Jersey, winds are expected to be sustained at 15 to 20 mph, with gusts of 25 to 30 mph, and perhaps 35 mph near the coast. Forecasters said that would be slightly weaker than the wind strength required to classify the storm as a blizzard.
Strong wind gusts, combined with colder air flowing in after the storm departs, will create wind chills in the single digits and maybe even zero in northern and central New Jersey Thursday night, the National Weather Service said.
This map from the National Weather Service shows the agency’s latest snow projections for northeastern counties in New Jersey, along with New York City and Long Island. (National Weather Service)
The stormy weather and cold air are a far cry from what New Jersey experienced on Wednesday, when temperatures soared into the low 60s across Central Jersey and hit the low 70s in South Jersey. The mercury reached 72 degrees in Cape May and 71 in Atlantic City, setting a new record high for Feb. 8. Trenton’s high of 65 degrees on Wednesday topped its daily record of 62 degrees.
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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