WINTER STORM WARNING Tuesday Midnight - Thursday morning 3/20 - 3/22

My flight to Tampa was cancelled.

NJIT is also closed. Nothing yet on SOPL

Drew University is closed. And add my thanks to Max for keeping us so well informed throughout the years. You're my go-to guy every time. I sensed hesitation over the weekend so did my shopping then. This storm reminds me of Sandy, and I believed you when you said it was going to be a horrific weather event. You save me from supermarket hysteria, so thank you (and to WxNut)! 

bets said:

Drew University is closed. And add my thanks to Max for keeping us so well informed throughout the years. You're my go-to guy every time. I sensed hesitation over the weekend so did my shopping then. This storm reminds me of Sandy, and I believed you when you said it was going to be a horrific weather event. You save me from supermarket hysteria, so thank you (and to WxNut)! 

No problem, although I certainly don’t do as much here as Max. That all said, I can promise you this won’t be anything like sandy. Won’t be nearly as bad. 

The good news, I suppose, is if it verifies and we do get 15 - 18", the snow will be fairly light and not stick to the trees, so there would be less damage and fewer outages.

Mt. Holly has caved to the higher forecast:

Twenty-five mid-Marches ago:

DaveSchmidt said:

Twenty-five mid-Marches ago:

A big part of my dissertation. What a storm.

Never forget it.  I walked to work in downtown JC from uptown Hoboken, having gotten a call at 5AM to get in ASAP, thinking at first that they were telling me NOT to come in.  THAT was depressing.  Strolled down the center of Washington Street with nary a person or car in sight.  Never worked harder and wearing more hats until 9/11 and the days immediately after.  

WxNut2.0 said:

DaveSchmidt said:

Twenty-five mid-Marches ago:

A big part of my dissertation. What a storm.

Well, then, here we go again.

funny my DH and I lived in Hoboken, both worked, and both had off that day and walked down Washington/lived on Newark st. (when Carlos' bakery was just a local thing) and there was a neat coffee shop on the corner near it--felt like 3' of snow

ctrzaska said:

Never forget it.  I walked to work in downtown JC from uptown Hoboken, having gotten a call at 5AM to get in ASAP, thinking at first that they were telling me NOT to come in.  THAT was depressing.  Strolled down the center of Washington Street with nary a person or car in sight.  Never worked harder and wearing more hats until 9/11 and the days immediately after.  

Forecast is verifying this morning as snow begins to overspread the area.  The storm appears to have slowed a bit and, with the cold air mass in place, we are set for at least 12 hours of snow.  Temps should be dropping this morning and as they do the snow will get lighter and deeper.  The NWS expects 1.25 - 1.50" of water to fall, almost all as snow.  With the sleet out of the forecast for our area, snow depth could reach 12 -18"

If this goes as forecast, this will be lighter, deeper snow that will be less likely to bring down trees and wires, so the colder, deeper forecast is in some ways a good thing.

This difference between 10" and 18" will have a lot to do with if and where any bands of heavy snow set up, and that will be more a nowcasting than a forecasting prpject.  Watch the radar, look out the window.

Snow tapers off by midnight but I doubt everything will be cleared by morning.

Winds are starting to pick up now.  Expect steady winds of 20 - 25 mph with gusts all day to 30.

So far so good for my 8 am flight to LA. All later flights cancelled. APPRECIATE  my choice of flights and APPRECIATE wxnut and max! xoxo

Good luck today everyone. Thanks Max.

Thank you to our local weather experts!

PSA: Hardly anyone was at Stop & Shop as of 30 minutes ago, if anyone needs to do a quick last-minute shopping.

Info from town:
 
1) Emergencies – Please call 911 if you have an emergency. You can also call 973-762-1234 for a direct connection to a police dispatcher. Do not call the Fire Department or Public Works. Call the police at 911 or 973-1234.
 
2) Jitneys – The Maplewood Jitneys will operate in Wednesday morning but will not operate in Wednesday evening. If the storm does not impact us as expected, the evening jitney service will be revisited and an announcement will be made. As of now though, do not plan on jitney service in the evening. We will announce the status of the Thursday jitney service on Wednesday.
 
3) Branches – There still are branches at the curb from the previous storm. Leave them at the curb. It is possible the plows will push the branches back off the curb but we feel it is too dangerous to have you move the branches this evening. Once the snow is cleared, the Public Works crews will continue to remove the branches from the sides of the roads.
 
4) Shelter, Warming Stations and Power Charging – The primary shelter is the Community Center in DeHart Park, 120 Burnett Avenue. It will be open from 8:00am Wednesday through 3:00pm Thursday. If you need to use the shelter, please bring your medicine and your own sheets and pillows. You may bring a pet if the pet is in a carrier or cage. You can drop by the shelter for warmth or to charge an electronic device.
 
The availability of Town Hall and the Library buildings for warming or charging electronic devices will be based on whether or not they are open or how long they are open on Wednesday. You can call Town Hall at 973-762-8120.
 
5) State of Emergency – We have not been informed yet about a declaration from the Governor or County Executive about a State of Emergency. If it is declared, we will follow suite. Please stay off the roads.
 
6) Snow Removal – When clearing your sidewalks and driveways, please do not throw snow back into the street. It is against Township ordinances.
 
Here is information from Public Service Electric & Gas:
 
PSE&G will have personnel ready to respond to any outages and emergencies beginning Tuesday night. The utility is also ensuring that additional supplies, including poles, transformers and other pole-top equipment, are on hand. Employees work closely with county and municipal emergency management personnel to inform them of outages and expedite restoration efforts. Some 170 mutual aid line personnel are en route to assist and more have been requested. Crews are coming to New Jersey from Canada, Indiana, Michigan, Mississippi, New York and Wisconsin. Another 115 contract line personnel and 300 tree trimmers have been secured.
 
PSE&G urges its customers to be cautious during and after the storm:
 
·      Downed wires should always be considered “live.” Do not approach or drive over a downed line and do not touch anything that it might be in contact with. 
·      To prevent carbon monoxide poisoning, do not run any gasoline powered engine, including generators and snow blowers, in a garage or any other enclosed space.
 
Customers should report downed wires or power outages by calling PSE&G’s Customer Service line at 1-800-436-PSEG. Also, customers can report outages at www.pseg.com or by texting “OUT” to 4PSEG (47734). The utility’s mobile-friendly website includes an “Outage Map” that is updated every 15 minutes and displays the location and status of power outages in PSE&G’s service area

I’m here now. Same...ghost town. Ha

sprout said:

PSA: Hardly anyone was at Stop & Shop as of 30 minutes ago, if anyone needs to do a quick last-minute shopping.

Seems like another fizzle.  When does the real weather start?

Patience, patience, this storm is six hours into a 12 - 18 hour run.

In the gif below you can see the low off the Delmarva starting to close.  If you look to the north of the forming eye, the storm is beginning to pump moisture into New Jersey.  To the northwest snowfall is building in South Jersey and Pa and will be moving into our area in the next couple of hours.  Then 8 - 12 hours of continuous snowfall.

Aww.  No gif?  Let me get a static image.....

Here:

One cousin in Central Pennsylvania has 4" on the ground and continuing

Sister in Northern Vermont has and expects nothing but temperature was 2 F this morning

Windshield of her car frosted on the inside this AM

thank you Max and wxnut! 

What's weird is that weather.com (I know, I know) is reporting 1-3 inches this afternoon and then another 1-3 inches this evening for Maplewood.  

As always, thank you weather reports Max!  You are my hero during these weather events!

Here's Accuweather's prediction:

I am less concerned with how much it is in inches, than I am with how "heavy" the snow actually is to lift. Never had to deal with snow as heavy as that last storm - with this one the difference is immediate.

The storm continues to develop, and has begun sending bands of heavier precipitation through the the state, particularly south of the MAPSO area.  Snow rates are in line with a minimum of 6 - 8", and any banding can add 1 - 3" per occurrence.  I still have confidence in my 6 - 10" forecast, while recognizing the NWS forecast is a bit higher and should be taken quite seriously.  Snow will continue this afternoon and evening, with at least one model continuing to show some notable snow showers through the early morning hours tomorrow.

Thank you Max (not really blaming you).

and in other exciting news...GRAUPEL