Winter Storm Impacts In Essex County: Here’s What’s Happening – Patch.com

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — A winter storm was expected to continue to impact the Essex County area on Thursday, bringing several inches of snow, ice or freezing rain along with it (see road impacts, snow estimates and forecast below).

The storm could be a combined snow and ice event, one that could knock down wires and cause power outages, according to the NWS.

The following graph shows the expected snow totals for the area.

Here is the forecast for Essex County, via the NWS:

Wednesday – Mostly sunny, with a high near 29. Wind chill values between 20 and 25. Northwest wind around 8 mph.

Wednesday Night – A 20 percent chance of snow after 4am. Increasing clouds, with a low around 22. Wind chill values between 15 and 20. Calm wind becoming northeast around 6 mph after midnight.

Thursday – Snow, mainly after 8am. High near 27. Wind chill values between 15 and 20. Northeast wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New snow accumulation of 3 to 5 inches possible.

Thursday Night – Snow. Low around 27. Wind chill values between 15 and 20. Northeast wind around 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches possible.

Friday – Snow likely, mainly before noon. Cloudy, with a high near 33. Northeast wind 7 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New snow accumulation of less than one inch possible.

Friday Night – Mostly cloudy, with a low around 24.

COVID VACCINES

All appointments at Essex County’s five COVID-19 vaccination sites scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 18 have been moved to Sunday, Feb. 21, a county spokesperson said. Read More: Extra COVID-19 Vaccine Sites Announced In Essex County (How To Get A Shot)

TRAVEL

State officials said they have several hundred pieces of road equipment available to make the roads safe, even though fewer people are taking to the roads because of the coronavirus.

Officials in Essex County asked residents to avoid parking on county roads from Wednesday to Friday morning.

“This will make it easier to remove snow and enable us to plow from curb to curb,” Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo Jr. said.

On Wednesday afternoon, officials at Newark Liberty International Airport said they’re “monitoring” the situation.

A speed restriction was imposed on the Garden State Parkway in both directions from Southern Terminus/CR 109 in Cape May to Exit 41 – CR561/Jimmie Leeds Road in Galloway Twp: 45 miles per hour due to roadway conditions.

A speed restriction was imposed on the New Jersey Turnpike in both directions from North of Interchange 7A – I-195 in Robbinsville to North of Interchange 8A – NJ 32 in South Brunswick Twp: 45 miles per hour for Salting Operation.

New Jersey Department of Transportation Commissioner Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti has issued a commercial vehicle travel restriction on multiple Interstate highways in New Jersey starting at 4 a.m., Thursday, February 18 based on the forecast for heavy snow.

Snow was hitting overnight before the morning commute, with periods of heavy snow forecast during the day. Precipitation is expected to continue through the afternoon commute and into Friday. The travel restrictions are being coordinated with neighboring states.

In addition to the commercial restrictions, all motorists are strongly encouraged to stay off the roads on Thursday. The safest place to be is at home.

The commercial vehicle travel restriction will begin at 4 a.m., Thursday, February 18 and will be in place until further notice for the following highways in both directions:

· I-78, from the Pennsylvania border to I-95 (New Jersey Turnpike)
· I-80, from the Pennsylvania border to I-95 (New Jersey Turnpike)
· I-195, from I-295 to NJ Route 138
· I-280, from I-80 to I-95 (New Jersey Turnpike)
· I-287, from NJ Route 440 to the New York State border
· I-295, from Exit 60 (I-195) north to the Scudders Falls Bridge (Pennsylvania border)
· NJ Route 440, from the Outerbridge Crossing to I-287

The commercial vehicle travel restriction applies to:

· All tractor trailers (exceptions as listed in the Administrative Order)
· Empty straight CDL-weighted trucks
· Passenger vehicles pulling trailers
· Recreational vehicles
· Motorcycles

This restriction DOES NOT apply to:

· The New Jersey Turnpike
· The Garden State Parkway
· The Atlantic City Expressway
· I-76
· I-676
· Public safety vehicles, sworn and civilian public safety personnel; as well as other personnel directly supporting healthcare facilities or critical infrastructure such as providing fuel or food.

For a complete list of operations or personnel that are exempt from the travel ban, see the Administrative Order.

Trucks that are already in New Jersey when the travel restrictions go into place are encouraged to pull off in truck stops to wait out the storm – DO NOT PARK ON SHOULDERS.

POWER/ELECTRIC

Essex County officials posted a storm-related advisory via social media on Wednesday. It read:

“A winter storm will arrive in the area [Thursday] morning and could bring up to 8 inches of heavy snow and ice. This may cause tree limbs and power lines to break. Downed power lines are dangerous, so do not go near them.”

PSE&G, which has a headquarters in Newark, said its workers are preparing for a heavy snow and sleet, and are keeping COVID-19 precautions in mind while they do so.

“While winter storm events are always challenging, we are prepared to respond safely and as quickly as possible to restore power,” said Jack Bridges, PSE&G’s vice president for Electric Operations. “We encourage our customers to prepare for the forecast storm and contact us immediately if they experience power outages.”

Meanwhile, JCP&L also said it’s ready to act if power outages take place.

LOCAL IMPACTS IN ESSEX COUNTY

The storm forecast caused a series of local impacts throughout Essex County. They included:

BLOOMFIELD – Alternate side of the street parking has been suspended “until further notice,” Bloomfield officials said Wednesday morning. All snowbound vehicles must be moved from their location. Any vehicle left on a township roadway for a period of 48 hours or longer will be considered abandoned per township ordinance and will be ticketed and/or towed.

MONTCLAIR – Montclair Emergency Management Coordinator Rob Bianco declared a state of emergency to go into effect at 9 a.m. Thursday. Nonessential travel and on-street parking will be prohibited for all vehicles for the duration of the state of emergency. Police will be ticketing and towing vehicles parked on the streets during this period. Residents can park their vehicles free of charge in municipal lots and decks from 6 a.m. Thursday until the streets have been cleared of snow. Trash and recycling collection was suspended for Thursday, Feb. 18.

NEWARK – Newark public safety officials warned drivers to beware of several flood-prone streets, which can be seen here. Residents were asked to be mindful of the city’s “No Parking on Snow Covered Roads” regulations due to the expected snowfall (see a list of streets here). A food distribution scheduled for Thursday at Essex County Branch Brook Park was canceled. The city activated a “Code Blue” for Thursday through Friday (see a list of local homeless shelters here).

NUTLEY – A limited COVID-19 vaccine clinic series for vulnerable people and those 65 and older in Nutley was canceled for Thursday, Feb. 18, with appointments rescheduled to Wednesday, Feb. 24. All appointment times will remain the same, officials said.

VERONA– Garbage and recycling in Verona will begin at 3:30 a.m. on Thursday in order to “maintain a safe environment for residents and workers,” town officials said.

WEST ORANGE – In West Orange, routine garbage pickup was scheduled to start early, “in the overnight hours,” in hopes of completing Thursday’s scheduled route before heavy accumulation of snow, officials said. The commuter jitney will operate a normal schedule for tomorrow morning’s and afternoon service, but riders should look for updates during the day in the event the afternoon schedule is changed as a result of the snow. “We remind all residents to stay home and off the roads … and be patient,” Mayor Robert Parisi said. “Please do not park on municipal roads, whenever possible, as parked cars make it more difficult to clear the streets and please do not shovel snow into the streets.”

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

This article contains reporting by Tom Davis, Patch staff. Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com. Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site. Sign up for Patch email newsletters.