Snow Day! South Jersey Expecting 4-9 Inches
Precipitation over New Jersey will continue transitioning from rain to snow through mid-morning, and bands of moderate to heavy snow will bring quick, significant accumulations all day long.
INTENSITY: Persistent light snow is expected all day, with bands of moderate to heavy snow reducing visibilities and accelerating accumulation.
Current warnings and advisories from the National Weather Service.WARNING: The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Warning for most of New Jersey including Atlantic, Cape May. Cumberland and Ocean counties through 7 p.m. today. A Winter Storm Warning means significant snow (4+ inches) is likely to occur, making for icy roads and hazardous travel conditions. A less-severe and less-urgent Winter Weather Advisory is in effect today for the rest of the state (North Jersey). I would expect the NWS to trim these advisories a bit early, as the snow begins to clear out this afternoon and evening.
SWEET SPOT: This morning’s forecast models continue to show the “sweet spot” of highest snow totals to set up over the central to southern parts of the state. We’re calling for 6 to 9 inches of snow accumulation generally from I-195 southward, with the possible exception of the far south coast. See the map above for a better representation of our latest forecast.
SOUTH/COAST: I remain concerned that the extreme south coast will remain above freezing a bit too long to see the biggest 6+ inch accumulations. So in the latest forecast update, I’ve limited this area of 4 to 6 inch accumulations to coastal Atlantic County and most of Cape May County.
THE END: Today will be a very snowy day overall, as the precipitation doesn’t look to taper off significantly until this evening. Final flakes are expected between 7 p.m. and Midnight tomorrow.
AFTERMATH: Behind the snow, temperatures will continue dropping sharply overnight, and we’ll have a frigid day ahead for Friday. Many low temperatures will fall into the single digits, and highs will struggle to surpass the mid 20s. Luckily, this arctic blast will be temporary, as a slow warmup will ensue this weekend.