OCEAN AND MONMOUTH COUNTIES – There’s a gale warning in effect now and a chance of accumulating snow Saturday night into Sunday this weekend.
The National Weather Service’s Philadelphia/Mount Holly office said the gale warning for coastal waters from Sandy Hook to Manasquan Inlet, to Little Egg Inlet, all out 20 nautical miles. The warning is in effect until 9 p.m. Jan. 10.
While the local NWS office hasn’t issued expected snow totals for the weekend, the office did say light snow is possible late Saturday into Sunday. An area of low pressure is tracking to the south across the Carolinas.
In the meantime, NJ101.5 meteorologist Dan Zarrow issued his own predictions, calling it just shy of a blockbuster snowstorm for South Jersey. While counties to the south of Ocean will see 2-6 inches of snow, most of Ocean County will see 1-2 inches, with the first flakes starting south around 7 p.m. Saturday. Parts of Monmouth County may see an inch or less.
The Ocean County Board of Chosen Freeholders put out a press release Thursday, assuring residents the county is prepared for whatever snow may come.
Freeholder Gerry P. Little, liaison to the county road department, said the county has a fleet of more than 200 trucks and 175 employees to salt and clear county roads and has on hand 30,000 tons of treated salt. Should the county need to plow, county roads in the 500s are the first plowed (for instance, Hooper Avenue in Toms River, Route 571 stretching from Toms River to Jackson, Route 539 from Plumsted to Tuckerton).
“With forecasters saying there’s a possibility of snow this weekend, we want our citizens to know Ocean County is well prepared for winter weather – whenever it gets here,” Little said.
