Surprise Storm Makes for Sloppy Commute
Sunday's surprise snow has turned to freezing rain and puddles on the road making for a sloppy commute.
There has been some flooding on the Garden State Parkway near the Toms River tolls Melting snow also caused some flooding in Point Pleasant on Monday morning.
The storm that dropped upwards of 10 inches on some parts of has melted away off the nmain roads leaving bare pavement along the shore while the inland areas are around freezing and still transitioning to rain.
A Winter Weather Advisory remains in effect until 10 a.m. for central and northern counties as there is still some freezing rain falling in Hunterdon,Morris, Warren, Sussex and Passaic counties as temperatures are still at or below freezing. South of there the precipitation has changed to rain with bare pavement reported on the major highways.
There are cancelled flights out of the area airports this morning; Newark and LaGuardia have 30 minute delays according to FlightAware.com. NJ Transit has 20 - 30 minute delays on the Northeast Corridor and North Jersey Coastal line. NJ Transit is cross honoring tickets systemwide across rail, light rain and bus.
Many schools especially in Ocean County are either closed today or on a delayed opening.
Surprise Snow
How did a forecast of less than an inch for most of New Jersey grow to 6-9 inches? Meteorologist Alan Kasper says a band of snow developed in south Jersey late in the morning and "just sat there" for several hours. ABC meteorologist Justin Ryan explains that type of snow is called an "inverted trough" that can be "grossly under forecast by the models." He said it was "long, strung out like a pulled piece of taffy." Ryan says the storm was compact and created a narrow axis of heavy snow from Camden and Gloucester counties south into Salem and into Delaware.
The heavy snow is being several dozen accidents reported in Toms River and Stafford alone. There was a fatal accident on Interstate 78 late Sunday night when a car went off the road and into a tree in Union Township closing the roadway.
New Jersey State Police estimate 40 accidents on the Garden State Parkway from Ocean County to Cape May on Sunday afternoon and an additional 10 accidents on the Atlantic City Expressway reports the Press of Atlantic City.
Next Storm
Kasper, Ryan and other meteorsologists are turning their attention to another snow event that should affect us late Tuesday morning with snow falling for just a few hours before ending that could produce 2-4 inches of snow and possibly more along coastal areas.
MORE COVERAGE:
- Storm drops up to 9 inches of snow in South Jersey, causes 'dozens' of accidents statewide / Star-Ledger
- Winter storm brings snow, traffic accidents to region Sunday / Press of Atlantic City
- Snow melts as Toms River faces messy commute / News 12 New Jersey