Town Braces For Significant Snow

UPDATE (8:15 p.m.): Forecasts have increased snow totals for this area to 12-18 inches. 40 mph winds are expected at times, which may cause whiteout conditions. Cranford schools will be closed tomorrow.

While last weekend's forecast may not have held up for our area, it's looking like we'll get our fair share of snow starting tonight.

The National Weather Service is calling for between 8 to 12 inches of snow for Union County, starting late Tuesday and heading into Wednesday night.

"This looks like the real thing," said Mayor Mark Smith shortly before he met with Cranford police, fire and public works employees Tuesday morning to plan for the storm.

Each storm that requires road crews to salt and/or plow takes a chunk of the money allocated for the year to such expenses. Overtime, fuel and chemicals all add to the township's bill. 

"It has been a while since we've dealt with a major storm, so we have been fortunate in not going over budget for snow removal in recent years," said Smith. "Hopefully, we will not go over budget this year."  

Smith asks residents to keep up to date with weather forecasts, stay at home and follow directions provided by local and state emergency authorities.

"Driving will be treacherous at the height of the storm, and stalled or abandoned vehicles make snow removal difficult," he said. "Common sense and up-to-date information always serves the public well."

Low pressure is forecast to develop along the Southeast coast early Tuesday morning, then rapidly deepen as it tracks Northeast to just east of Montauk Point by Wednesday evening.

As the storm intensifies, east to Northeast winds will become strong and gusty during the day on Wednesday. This will cause blowing and drifting of snow, with near blizzard conditions possible.

The snow is likely to be heavy at times on Wednesday, before slowly tapering off that night.

Luckily, Cranford won't be dealing with quite as much of a disaster as parts of central and southern New Jersey, which recently got slammed with close to two feet of snow.

The National Weather Service is currently predicting another dumping of heavy snow for that area come Tuesday night.

Regardless of how much we get here in Cranford, if the heaviest of the snowfall hits Wednesday morning, it could have a significant impact on morning commutes and potentially delay school openings.

Be sure to stay tuned to Patch for the latest information on how the weather will impact Cranford.