Snow-loving kids sled in Barnegat during the winter storm
Two young boys couldn’t wait for the winter storm to end and took to the sledding hill at the Lillian M. Dunfee School in Barnegat, New Jersey.
It has the potential to be one of the biggest snowstorms of all time, and it’s headed straight for the Jersey Shore.
While light rain is falling now across the region, forecasters warn that it will turn to snow starting by mid-day today, Feb. 22, with very heavy snow making for life-threatening travel overnight into Monday.
We’ll be with you from the time flakes start falling.
The latest map from the National Weather Service has the 24-30 inches prediction reduced to southern Monmouth County and most of Ocean County. Sarah Johnson, warning coordination meteorologist for the National Weather Service’s Philadelphia/Mount Holly office, said in general the snow amounts across the board went down slightly because the low center of the storm is slightly further east compared to the overnight models they were looking at prior.
“When it comes to nor’easters or coastal storms, it only takes a very minor shift to make a big difference in terms of snow amounts,” Johnson said. “When it comes to the wind forecast that is still on track and it actually went up in many areas. So we are still expecting some very significant impacts with the combination of the wind and the snow leading to the white out conditions. All of the state is still under a blizzard warning.”
A mandatory travel restriction has been issued beginning 9 p.m. Feb. 22 until 7 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 23, in response to a major winter storm expected to bring heavy snow, blizzard conditions, and strong winds across the state.
All non-exempt vehicles are prohibited from operating on state, county, municipal, and interstate roadways during this period. The New Jersey Turnpike is exempt from this restriction.
Gov. Mikie Sherrill told CNN her main concern was making sure people knew this horrible winter storm is different than the last horrible winter storm.
“We have blizzard warnings in all 21 counties for the first time in about 30 years. This is going to be heavy snow,” Sherrill said. “We are a heavily wooded state, a lot of branches, a lot of trees coming down. Especially because we are seeing wind gusts up which will be up to 60 mph. So this is a very different storm, it is a really dangerous storm.”
Expect white-out conditions at times with both snow and wind.
“People need to get off the streets,” Sherrill said.
Light rail and buses are shutting down at 6 p.m. and heavy rail NJ Transit operations at 9 p.m.
“So people need to be prepared to get where they are sheltering overnight by 9 p.m. We have warming centers open and we are working incredibly hard on all of the services. We have mutual aid coming in from other states to help with our utilities should those utilities present any problems,” Sherrill said.
The governor did not implement a travel ban last month and “that was our worst storm in 10 years.”
“Starting at 9 p.m. tonight we are implementing a travel ban for all motorists because this is going to be so incredibly dangerous. Both with the wind gusts and white out conditions, the blizzard conditions across the state and with the wind which will be blowing trees and branches down in this wet heavy snow,” Sherrill said. “Be off the roads by 9p.m. tonight.”
She said there are over 5,000 utility workers ready to get to work.
“Our last snow storm in January when we had really heavy snow, that was an inch an hour. Two to three inches an hour, these are blizzard conditions. This is something we haven’t seen in 30 years. People need to take this very seriously,” Sherrill said.
Meteorologist Steve DiMartino said the worst thing about this kind of snow is “it is like cement.”
“If you are shoveling this stuff, use caution and be careful because this type of snowfall can give you a heart attack because you’re lifting like 50 pounds of snow every time you shovel it,” he said. “Definitely is going to be a nasty storm, no doubt about that and it is going to be an impressive one at that”
State climatologist David Robinson said the record for New Jersey snowstorms is 34 inches.
“Cape May recorded (34 inches) in 1899 in February and up in the highlands of North Jersey there was 34 inches on December 26, 1947. There have been debates of unofficial totals that perhaps equaled or exceeded that but those are considered the official storm records,” Robinson said in a livestream with meteorologist Joe Martucci.
The 24-hour snowfall record is over 29 inches in Long Branch in the early 1930s, he said.
“So, when you’re talking 30 inches or more you’re getting into rare territory,” Robinson said. “Twenty inches is a little more common. Your 10-inch plus storms, people think we have them every year, (but) we don’t.
In Central Jersey, it’s once every three years on average (for) a 10-inch plus storm,” Robinson said.
He added that three 10-inch storms in one season has only happened twice in the history of the state, “and we have records back to the 1890s.”
“Three 10-inchers in a season is really unusual for the bulk of populus New Jersey,” Robinson said.
NJDOT has issued an emergency regulation lowering speed limit to 35 mph on Interstate and State highways beginning at 3 p.m.
Due to the snow, NJ TRANSIT bus, light rail and Access Link services will be temporarily suspended at 6 p.m.
“Rail service adjustments are expected later in the evening and will be shared with ample advance notice,” the outfit said, adding that decisions will be made for Monday later Sunday.
The New Jersey Department of Transportation announced a commercial vehicle travel restriction on multiple Interstate highways in New Jersey starting at 3 p.m.
It includes the following roads:
- I-76 (entire length)
- I-78 (entire length)
- I-80 (entire length)
- I-195 (entire length)
- I-280 (entire length)
- I-287 (entire length)
- I-295 (entire length)
- I-676 (entire length)
This storm could be historical because it could drop nearly three feet of snow on the Jersey Shore, but it could also feature two other rare occurances.
The storm could turn into a bomb cyclone. According to USA Today, a bomb cyclone is a powerful mid-latitude storm that intensifies rapidly, with its central pressure dropping by at least 24 millibars within 24 hours. Often described as a “winter hurricane,” these systems create intense, hazardous conditions, including blizzard conditions, high winds, heavy precipitation, and coastal flooding.
Thundersnow is also possible. This is like a thunderstorm, but instead of rain falling, it’s snow. When this happens, you’ll typically see snow falling hard.
If you’re relying on NJ Transit, the service is shutting down as of 6 p.m.
Gov. Mikie Sherrill declared a state of emergency effective at noon on Feb. 22 for all 21 counties.
“I am urging you to make plans to stay off the roads Sunday through Monday,” Sherrill said.
Monmouth County snow totals
Predicted inch counts are rising for towns in Monmouth County:
- Allentown: 19 to 31 inches
- Asbury Park: 20 to 32 inches
- Belmar: 21 to 33 inches
- Colts Neck: 21 to 33 inches
- Eatontown: 21 to 33 inches
- Freehold: 22 to 34 inches
- Highlands: 19 to 31 inches
- Keyport: 16 to 28 inches
- Long Branch: 20 to 32 inches
- Manalapan: 20 to 32 inches
- Manasquan: 22 to 34 inches
- Red Bank: 20 to 32 inches
- Shrewsbury: 20 to 32 inches
- Tinton Falls: 20 to 32 inches
- Union Beach: 16 to 28 inches
Ocean County snow totals
Predicted inch counts are rising for towns in Ocean County:
- Barnegat Light: 19 to 31 inches
- Beach Haven: 15 to 26 inches
- Harvey Cedars: 18 to 29 inches
- Jackson: 21 to 33 inches
- Lacey: 21 to 33 inches
- Lakewood: 23 to 35 inches
- Little Egg Harbor: 18 to 30 inches
- Manchester: 21 to 33 inches
- Point Pleasant: 21 to 33 inches
- Seaside Heights: 20 to 32 inches
- Ship Bottom: 16 to 27 inches
- Toms River: 22 to 34 inches
- Tuckerton: 18 to 30 inches
