NJ Weather: Winter Storm Alert, Heavy Snow, 50 mph Winds Expected in Last Forecast

The National Weather Service issued a winter storm alert before the impending coastal storm that is expected to drop more than half a foot of snow in parts of New Jersey and generate gusts of up to 50 mph along the Jersey coast.

The watch – which is not as urgent as a warning – essentially warns the state that there is a high probability of snow accumulation and dangerous conditions during the next 48 to 72 hours.

As of Friday afternoon, 10 counties are included in the surveillance of winter storms: Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cumberland, Gloucester, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean and Salem. The vigil takes effect at 10 am on Sunday in Cumberland and Salem, and at 4 pm on Sunday in other counties, lasting until 1 am on Tuesday in each area.

In addition to heavy snow – with possible accumulations of 4 to 8 inches in parts of central and western New Jersey, and some pockets of 20 to 12 inches – the weather service says winds can reach speeds of 40 mph to 50 mph in coastal areas, “Creating significant gusts and snow currents”.

“The trip can be very difficult”, observes the meteorological service. “Dangerous conditions can affect Monday night’s commute.”

Based on the latest computer-oriented models, meteorologists expect light snow to begin to fall late Sunday morning or early Sunday afternoon, starting from west to east and lasting until Monday or early Tuesday. market.

“A period of winter or rain mixing can occur on Sunday night and Monday morning, especially along and near the coast, before it snows again on Monday afternoon,” said the weather service on its website. storm watch. “The highest snowfall rates are most likely to occur on Monday.”

Early Friday afternoon, forecasters said there were still big doubts about the storm’s trail. The trail is one of the biggest keys to determining the amount of snow, rain or mixed precipitation that will fall in each region of New Jersey and nearby states.

“There is still a lot of uncertainty with this storm system,” said Sarah Johnson, an analyst at the National Weather Service’s regional forecast office in Mount Holly.

Johnson said the latest computer-oriented models have suggested that the storm – a low-pressure system in the middle of the atmosphere that pours out huge amounts of snow in the western United States – may take a path further south as it crosses the parents .

If you stay on the trail to the south, this will push the snow / rain divider further south, which would favor lighter snow in North Jersey and more snow in central and southwestern New Jersey. To complicate the work of meteorologists, you need to find out where the heaviest pockets of snow will be located, Johnson noted.

Furthermore, it is not yet known how much hail and rain will mix with snow in South Jersey and along the eastern coastal areas.

Meteorologists are also concerned about the threat of moderate flooding in the coastal sections of the state, because the storm could intensify in the Atlantic Ocean and push large volumes of water into the land, especially during the high and low tide cycles on Monday and Tuesday.

A forecast map issued by meteorologists in NBC4 in New York is requiring up to 20 to 30 centimeters of snow in a large strip of Monmouth and Ocean counties and further south, 5 to 8 inches of snow along the I-95 corridor in central New Jersey and 3 to 5 inches in large part of North Jersey.

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Len Melisurgo can be found at [email protected].