Get the latest updates on the blizzard in New Jersey.
Nearly a foot of snow fell in New Jersey Saturday as the state endures a blizzard that has shut down NJ Transit trains, caused about 30,000 power outages, flooded roads and made highways impassable.
Police departments were describing roads as “treacherous” and telling people to stay off the roads. Wires were reportedly down in Barnegat and elsewhere.
Flooding was reported in Atlantic City, North Wildwood and along Route 35 in Ocean County. Tropical-Storm-force wind gusts of 60 mph caused damage to buildings, including one hotel in the Wildwood area.
A state of emergency has been declared in New Jersey as residents prepare for a battering from a massive storm that could bring blizzard conditions and more than a foot of snow.
More than 79,000 in New Jersey are without power as of noon.
ALSO:
- Snow amounts has been posted, with nearly a foot falling over many areas of N.J. by early Saturday. Read more here.
- More than 79,000 power outages were reported as of 11:30 a.m. Read more here.
- PHOTOS: Flooding, Blizzard, Storm Damage in N.J.: Some streets in Atlantic City, North Wildwood and elsewhere have turned into streams. Read more here.
- WATCH: N.J. Blizzard Causes Widespread Flooding: Videos captured the impacts as some roads turned into rivers. Read more here.
- The National Weather Service has provided an hour-by-hour forecast of the nor’easter snowstorm In N.J., including snow amount totals, wind speeds and temperatures, broken down county-by-county. Read more here.
- Heavy flooding reported in Ocean City. Read more here..
- NJ Transit trains ceased operations at 2 a.m. as officials monitored track conditions. No timetable for restarting the system has been set.
- Local communities have called for evacuations – voluntary and involuntary – where flooding will be an issue. Read more here.
- Jersey Shore communities are facing the possibility of major flooding that could put this nor’easter In New Jersey’s top-5 worst. Widespread coastal flooding with property damage and road closures is expected, especially at high tide on Saturday and Sunday morning. Read more here.
- A number of towns and school districts have cancelled activities, such as SAT testing, because of the potential blizzard. Read more here.
- Snow is expected to fall at a rate of 3 inches per hour. The state Department of Transportation and NJ Transit say they’ve stockpiled more than 200,000 tons of salt on to help treat parking lots, facilities and roads.
- How to Prevent and Deal With Frozen Pipes: One big headache that can accompany snow and single-digit temperatures is frozen water pipes in unheated basements and crawl spaces of local homes. Read more here.
- All flights at Philadelphia International Airport were canceled for Saturday ahead of the looming blizzard, and a state-of-emergency was declared in Pennsylvania.
- All major airlines have issued waivers for travel allowing passengers to rebook other flights to avoid the storms, and American Airlines has canceled the bulk of its flights in the Northeast ahead of the storm.
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Here is a video showing the blizzard as it hit Route 1 in South Brunswick early Saturday, courtesy of Arza Baig:
The first flakes arrived in South Jersey around 6 p.m. Friday as some evacuations – voluntary and involuntary – were underway, and Christie returned to the state from the New Hampshire campaign trail.
The National Weather Service issued a blizzard warning early Friday, warning of reduced visibility with whiteout conditions that will make for dangerous roads. Snow accumulation predictions were also increased Friday. The National Weather Service now says as much as 22 inches could fall during the 36-hour storm.
“Do not travel. If you must travel, have a winter survival kit with you. If you get stranded, stay with your vehicle and wait for help to arrive,” the National Weather Service warns.
From the campaign trail in New Hampshire, Christie, who first said he did not believe he would head home, changed his mind.
“I’m sorry, NH but I gotta go home – we got snow coming. #Jonas,” he wrote on Twitter.
”I want to make sure the people of my state feel safe and secure,” he wrote in a reversal after making a passionate defense for staying in New Hampshire when the storm hit.
“But I will be back, because I am able to do both things. The fact is – you are never not the governor,” he wrote on Twitter, saying he plans to hold a press conference around 8 p.m.
The weather service, meanwhile warned that the storm’s intensity would make traveling a chore if not impossible.
“Be where you want to be BEFORE the snow starts & be prepared to stay there for 48 hours,” Gary Szatkowski, a National Weather Service meteorologist, said on Twitter.
The NWS is warning New Jersey that the “potentially paralyzing” storm could impact 50 million people in the Northeast and grind the region’s transportation system to a halt.
The Port Authority, meanwhile, says it has taken significant measures to ensure safe, efficient operations at its airports, tunnels, bridges and PATH system throughout the winter event.
Operations personnel will work 12-hour shifts to ensure that facilities can be operated safely. The airports, bridges, tunnels and PATH also have snow desks where key personnel analyze weather reports and deploy staff and equipment.
Thousands of flights around the country, and especially in the Northeast, have already been canceled.
The Port Authority also will have supplies of cots and other essential items ready to accommodate ticketed passengers who may become stranded at the airports.
The Port Authority also urges bus travelers to check with their carriers before going to the bus terminals since many public and private carriers may cancel service if conditions warrant. The agency also may impose speed restrictions on its crossings, or close them entirely, if weather conditions warrant.
The Port Authority has the following winter weather equipment and supplies ready at its major transportation facilities:
- More than 200 pieces of snow equipment at its airports, including melters that can liquefy up to 500 tons of snow an hour and plows that can clear snow at 40 mph;
- More than 60 pieces of snow equipment at its bridges and tunnels, including nearly two dozen plows and spreaders at the George Washington Bridge, the world’s busiest vehicular crossing;
- Thousands of tons of salt and sand for airport roads and parking lots, plus thousands of tons of salt for the bridges and tunnels;
- Hundreds of thousands of gallons of liquid anti-icer chemicals at the airports, which prevent snow and ice from bonding to runways and taxiways, plus thousands of tons of solid de-icers, which break up snow and ice already on the ground;
- Plow-equipped trains, liquid snow-melting agent trains and a “jet engine” plow to remove snow from PATH tracks, and snow blowers, plows and spreaders to clear station entrances, roads that serve PATH’s 13 stations, and various support facilities.
