New Jersey is Digging Out in Bitter Cold
Bitter cold air will make snow clearing work a chilly task throughout New Jersey Wednesday. State offices and many schools are closed.
The snow tapered off and came to an end overnight. Temperatures are in the single digits and lower teens this morning with a wind chill of -10 to -15 out of the northwest, prompting a Wind Chill Advisory by the National Weather Service until 11 a.m. Temperatures are not expected to reach 20 in most places during the day.
The greatest amounts of snow fell in Monmouth County with 13-15 inches in Manapapan, Englishtown, Freehold and Colts Neck according to National Weather Service observations.
The New Jersey Office of Emergency Management tweeted that state offices will be closed Wednesday, but all essential employees will still be required to report to work.
Speeds remain reduced to 35 MPH on the entire lengths of the Garden State Parkway and New Jersey Turnpike according to New Jersey Fast Traffic. Crews are working to clear main roads to pavement. However, secondary roads may not be as well plowed, forcing closings or delayed openings in many school districts.
On Tuesday night a charter bus ran down an embankment on I-80 in Roxbury Township according to ABC 7. There were three people on the bus at the time of the crash, and none of the injuries were listed as life-threatening.
New Jersey Transit will cross-honor tickets system-wide on buses, light rail and trains again on Wednesday and operate on an enhanced weekend schedule except for the Atlantic City Line which will operate normally.
Amtrak's Northeast Corridor will operate on a modified schedule on Wednesday between Boston and Washington while Acela service will operate at reduced frequencies according to their website.
New Jersey State Police tweeted they had 238 reported accidents and 354 motorist aid calls by 4 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon in their patrol areas. In addition, the NJ DOT has requested that State Police tow any abandoned cars off the interstates and state roads until noon on Wednesday.
A State of Emergency declaration by Gov. Chris Christie remains in effect to allow for easier co-ordination for snow removal. "I encourage all New Jerseyans to stay off the roads if possible so that our first responders and public safety officials can safely respond to any emergency situations," he said.
- Get Alan Kasper's latest storm forecast
MORE COVERAGE:
- Snow crippling N.J., thundersnow possible in some areas tonight / Star-Ledger
- Ready to dig out now? / Asbury Park Press
Toniann Antonelli contributed to this report.