Friday Afternoon Weather Discussion

This storm is sure to surprise some people, but hopefully the people who read this blog will be less surprised. I expect the precipitation to start some time tomorrow morning, as early as 6am or as late as 11am. Don’t be surprised when you wake up tomorrow morning and the temperature is in the upper 30’s, or even the lower 40’s, this is expected. So, expect the precipitation to start as rain everywhere, except possible the higher elevations of Northwest, NJ. It is very cold at cloud level since the polar cold front came through here last evening, so, the rain will rather quickly change to snow once the precipitation starts and becomes heavier. The snow will then be heavy at times throughout the afternoon and evening. The snow should end between 10pm and 2am on Sunday. Total accumulations should be generally 6-12 inches with some 12-18 amounts possible. Accumulations will be lighter in far Eastern sections of Northern New Jersey (within a few miles of the Hudson River), where the snow accumulations should be 3-6 inches generally. The main concern with this storm is not only the heavy snow, but the winds may gust over 30mph and more important, there are still many leaves on the trees. The accumulation of heavy snow on the leaves will likely cause many branches and trees to fall, which may close some roads and cause power outages. Make necessary preparations now. I will post an update later this evening. Stay tuned.