Blizzard Hits Cranford

UPDATE: Cranford schools will be closed on Thursday. Unofficial measurements place the snow at almost a foot. The wind is picking up. Police and DPW have blocked off roads that haven't been plowed in a while, leaving major avenues open. There are low-hanging wires and fallen branches throughout Cranford. PSE&G reports power outages in town. Power is out along North Avenue near and including the Sagamore Apartments. Let us know of any accidents, outages or other problems at whitney@patch.com.

Residents woke early Wednesday morning to find a Cranford covered in several inches of snow. And the worst of the storm has yet to come.

The National Weather Service has upgraded its storm warning for the Cranford area to a blizzard warning due to the potential of up to 16 inches of snow and wind gusts that could create conditions of less than a quarter mile of visibility at times.

As the storm intensifies, winds will increase and become quite strong and gusty by the afternoon. Gusts of 35 to 40 mph will cause blowing and drifting of snow with blizzard conditions and power outages possible.

Slushy, slippery streets kept many from leaving their homes Wednesday morning; few others took advantage of NJ Transit rails and buses. As of 7:30 a.m., NJ Transit buses were experiencing 45-minute delays systemwide, while rails remained delay-free. 

Some Cranford residents and business owners got an early start on clearing the sidewalks in front of their homes and stores with shovels and snow blowers.

Mayor Mark Smith reminded residents to shovel the snow into their yards instead of throwing it in the street at Tuesday's township committee meeting. Many early-morning shovelers either hadn't heard his request, or were ignoring it.

Plows and bulldozers passed through town and county roads, clearing away the snow. Public works employees have their work cut out for them as the blizzard warning will remain in effect until 6 a.m. Thursday, with snow expected to fall throughout the day at a rate of about one to two inches per hour.

The municipal building is open, though Town Administrator Marlena Schmid asks residents to call ahead at 908-709-7206.

"We have staff who live south and to the west of Union County and based on conditions it's unknown if some of our staff will have difficulty getting to the office," she said at Tuesday's town meeting. "I will be here and the expectation is that everyone will do their best to get here."

Today marks the last day to pay Cranford taxes without interest or penalty. Schmid is available to stamp the receipt of tax checks.

The Cranford Post Office lobby is open. Window assistants will be available to help customers at 10 a.m.

Cranford schools and Union County College are closed for the day. Go here for our complete list of closings and send us your own information to whitney@patch.com.

Of course we'll be updating you throughout the day on how the snow is impacting Cranford but in case you need the most immediate information on travel conditions, power outages, and more, here's some links to where to go.

Power Outages

PSE&G operates an outage map on its Web site that tracks where outages are in New Jersey and how many people they've affected. There is also a link on the page to report outages yourself.

Travel Conditions

For the latest on accidents, weather restrictions and more, head to the state Department of Transportation's Web site, NJCommuter.com. The site maps accidents, congestion, detours and more. Video from the roads is also available.

NJTransit also says it will be updating its Web site throughout the day with the latest info. Buses, train cars and locomotives have all been winterized for the season, according to the site. Right now, NJTransit is operating on a regular weekend schedule.

Accidents or Other Public Safety Concerns

If you are in an emergency, remember to call 911. The Cranford Police Department's non-emergency number is 908-272-2222.

Remember to stay tuned to Patch throughout the storm for the latest information. If you see something going on, let us know at whitney@patch.com. And, of course, if you have photos of the snow that you'd like to share, also send them to whitney@patch.com.