Winter Weather Advisories Issued In 12 NJ Counties Ahead Of Thursday Storm

NEW JERSEY — Up to 6 inches of snow and sleet accumulations are expected in the Garden State Thursday evening into Friday, paving the way for an icy Friday morning commute.

A winter weather advisory has been issued by the National Weather Service for the following counties, in effect Thursday evening through Friday afternoon:

• Warren
• Morris
• Sussex
• Middlesex
• Mercer
• Hunterdon
• Somerset
• Passaic
• Hudson
• Bergen
• Essex
• Union

“Local power outages and tree damage are possible due to the ice. Travel could become very difficult,” the National Weather Service said. “The hazardous conditions are expected to impact the Friday morning commute.”

Sleet and freezing rain north of Interstate 78 will transition to rain by Friday morning, according to a National Weather Service update Thursday morning. All precipitation is expected to taper off to the east by Friday afternoon.

While northern counties could see accumulations between 2 and 5 inches (and up to 6 inches in Sussex County), central Jersey communities will likely see accumulations of only up to an inch.

Ice accumulations could range between one- and two-tenths of an inch in the central part of the state. Essex, Bergen, Somerset, Morris, Hunterdon, Passaic, Sussex, Union and Warren counties could see up to a quarter-inch of ice.

“Significant travel impacts are possible, especially from I-78 northward, including the Friday morning commute,” the weather service said Thursday.

Forecasters say South Jersey will mostly see rain.

Here's the latest forecast:

North Jersey

Thursday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 37. Wind chill values between 25 and 35. North wind 3 to 8 mph.

Thursday Night: Snow between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m., then freezing rain and sleet after 4 a.m. Low around 29. Wind chill values between 20 and 25. East wind 3 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100 percent.

Friday: Freezing rain and sleet before 10 a.m., then rain between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. High near 38. Wind chill values between 20 and 30. East wind 5 to 9 mph becoming calm. Winds could gust as high as 21 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100 percent.

Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 20. Wind chill values between 10 and 15. Northwest wind 7 to 11 mph.

South Jersey

Thursday: A slight chance of rain between noon and 3 p.m. Cloudy, with a high near 37. Northeast wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20 percent.

Thursday Night: Rain, mainly after 9 p.m. Low around 33. East wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100 percent. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Friday: Rain, mainly before noon. High near 47. East wind 5 to 15 mph becoming west in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100 percent. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 25. Northwest wind 10 to 15 mph.