Nor’easter Impacts In Clark-Garwood: Closures, Cancellations

CLARK/GARWOOD, NJ — A "major" nor'easter hit the Clark-Garwood area on Wednesday, producing heavy snow and forcing schools to close.

The National Weather Service labeled the "major" system a "nor'easter" since it's expected to produce strong, sustained damaging winds and precipitation over a 24-hour period on Wednesday.

The storm was fierce enough to cancel schools and more is expected to arrive overnight and into Thursday (see the forecast below).

Due to the anticipated amount of snow, the Clark Public School district and Garwood Public School will be closed on Thursday for both virtual and in-person instruction. Read More: Snow Day Called For Clark, Garwood Students On Thursday

Garbage collection on the southside of Garwood Borough scheduled for Thursday has also been canceled. The next scheduled collection date is Monday.

Union County College also closed all College buildings at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday and will remain closed until Friday at 8:30 a.m. All remote services will continue to be offered.

Union County also announced closures:

• The COVID-19 Drive-Thru Testing Center at Kean University will be closed on Thursday. All appointments for that day have been moved to Friday, and the drive-thru test center will be open that day from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
• The Union County COVID-19 Mobile Testing Event scheduled for Thursday in Berkeley Heights has been canceled and will be rescheduled to a later date.
• All Union County Paratransit service will not run on Thursday. Paratransit service, including the Route 22 shuttle, will run until 6 p.m. on Wednesday and resume Friday.
• The Meals on Wheels program will not deliver meals on Thursday. Meal delivery will be doubled on Wednesday.
• Individuals who are in need of shelter during or just prior to the storm can call the Division of Social Services 908-965-2700 and transportation will be arranged as needed.

Here were the expected snow totals:

State officials said they have more than 400 pieces of road equipment available to make the roads safe, even though fewer people are taking to the roads because of the coronavirus outbreak.

AccuWeather was saying the system could be the "most significant winter storm in several years," one that could potentially become highly impactful and disruptive as the first round of coronavirus vaccines continue to be shipped around the country.

AccuWeather warned of major disruptions to travel and even travel shutdowns, as well as shipping delays, school closings and power outages from this "blockbuster storm," – even though a number of New Jersey school districts have said they'll opt to go remote instead of closing.

Here is the forecast:

A Winter Storm Warning is in effect for Clark and Garwood through 1 p.m. on Thursday.

Wednesday Night: Snow before midnight, then snow and sleet between midnight and 2 a.m., then snow after 2 a.m. The snow could be heavy at times. Temperature rising to around 31 by 3 a.m. Wind chill values between 10 and 20. Blustery, with a northeast wind 18 to 23 mph, with gusts as high as 38 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100 percent. Total nighttime snow and sleet accumulation of 8 to 12 inches possible.

Thursday: Snow likely, mainly before 9 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 33. Wind chill values between 15 and 20. Breezy, with a north wind 18 to 23 mph decreasing to 11 to 16 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 34 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60 percent. New snow accumulation of 1 to 2 inches possible.

Thursday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 19. North wind 6 to 8 mph.

Have a news tip? Email alexis.tarrazi@patch.com.

Get Patch breaking news alerts sent right to your phone with our new app. Download here. Don't miss local and statewide announcements. Sign up for Patch alerts and daily newsletters.