Two snow storms could pack an early-season punch in the northern and central parts of New Jersey this week, forecasters said.
The two storms will hit on Monday and Wednesday, with the possibility of more than a foot of snow during the second storm.
It’s been a few years since New Jersey has seen a storm that could bring this much snow, Patrick O’Hara, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Mount Holly, told NJ Advance Media Sunday morning. “It hasn’t been this bad in a while,” he said.
The weather service will issue its first snow predictions for Wednesday’s storm on Monday morning, but AccuWeather is already predicting up to 18 inches for the northern part of the state, with totals getting progressively smaller heading south.
As of Saturday night, forecasters are expecting 12 to 18 inches of snow in North Jersey, 6 to 12 inches of snow in Central Jersey, 3 to 6 inches of snow in the state’s southwestern counties. The southeastern part of the state will likely see mostly rain.
That could be more snow than some parts of New Jersey saw in all of the 2019-2020 season. Parts of Central Jersey that had less than 10 inches it total last winter are forecasted to get 6 to 12 inches on Wednesday.
The exact totals depend on the track of the storm, which is still highly uncertain, the NWS says.
Two winter storms are set to hit New Jersey this week. The impacts of the Monday storm will likely be limited, but the Wednesday storm could be significant.National Weather Service
Areas north and west of I-95 will see the highest snow totals, the weather service says, and the impact could be significant, including power outages.
“For the Wednesday storm, the combination of gusty winds, significant snow, and high moisture content of the snow will have the potential to cause power outages and will likely impact at least the afternoon commute,” the weather service said.
If the snow is on the higher end of predictions and the nights remain cold, it’s possible the snow will stick around for a white Christmas, O’Hara said.
The Monday morning storm will be mild, with less than two inches of snow across northwestern New Jersey. If temperatures get cold enough it’s possible areas closer to I-95 will also see measurable snowfall.
The afternoon commute is likely to be affected, the forecast says, but the impacts will be limited.
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