Camden County Bracing For Winter Storm, Severe Conditions

CAMDEN COUNTY, NJ — Camden County is bracing for a storm that is expected to create severe weather conditions on Monday, county officials said Sunday night. A Code Blue Weather Advisory is also in effect.

The National Weather service is expecting between 1 and 5 inches of snow and wind gusts of up to 35 mph from early Monday morning through late Monday afternoon.

“We are currently tracking a winter weather event that could bring accumulation of up to 3 inches of snow to our region,” Commissioner Al Dyer, liaison to the Camden County Department of Public Works, said. “We are planning for a full-fledged removal operation and preparation is already underway. Based on the timing of this storm, it looks like we will start to see accumulation around the morning rush hour. That said, we need everyone to give themselves plenty of extra time and be cautious on the roads.”

The Health Officer has issued the Code Blue Weather Advisory for Camden County, effective from 7 p.m. Sunday through 7 a.m. Friday.

“The lowest temperature is expected to fall to around 22 degrees,” Commissioner Carmen Rodriguez, liaison to the Camden County Department of Health and Human Services, said. “So, it’s crucial that we get everyone sheltered and out of the elements, make sure our on elderly relatives and neighbors are okay and get our pets indoors.”

When the Camden County Health Officer declares a Code Blue Weather Advisory, municipalities with homeless populations, situational homeless or transient populations are expected to activate their Code Blue response plan to accommodate their immediate needs.

“It is important that the most vulnerable among us are not left without heat or electricity,” Rodriguez said. “We encourage everyone to check on elderly or handicapped relatives and neighbors that live alone.”

The Camden County Health Department and the Office of Emergency Management have worked with each municipality to ensure they have the proper resources to respond to these severe weather situations as part of their individual Code Blue plans. Each municipality has identified its own location to accommodate those in their community seeking shelter from the severe weather.

Anyone seeking shelter in a warming center should contact their local municipality. Additional resources are available by calling the Camden County Department of Health and Human Services at 800-999-9045, or by visiting www.camdencounty.com.

At the Public Works Complex in Lindenwold, more than 100 pieces of equipment are available to keep county roadways passable, officials said. When the weather becomes treacherous, personnel will be dispatched to 12 winter maintenance districts to salt and plow 1,200 lane miles of roadways across Camden County. The county’s response plan calls for crews to be dispatched only to the zones where they are needed.

“If you don’t have to travel during this period of time, please stay off the roads to give our crews the ability to effectively do their job. Anyone on the roadways during the storm should be prepared to encounter slick road conditions,” Dyer said. “And remember to always leave at least six car lengths behind our DPW trucks while they work and move any cars off the street and into a driveway while we continue our operations. Remember that it is illegal in New Jersey to plow or shovel snow from private property into roadways.”

Residents should report power outages directly to the appropriate utility provider list below:

• PSE&G: 1-800-436-PSEG (7734)
• PSEG website: http://pseg.com/home/customer_service/outage_info/index.jsp
• Atlantic City Electric: 1-800-833-7476; http://www.atlanticcityelectric.com/home/
• South Jersey Gas: 1-800-582-7060
• South Jersey Gas website: http://southjerseygas.com/

While the sun is expected to return on Tuesday, snow is in the forecast for much of the rest of the week. Below is the forecast for the rest of the week, according to the National Weather Service:

Monday
Snow likely, mainly before 2pm. Cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with a high near 34. North wind 10 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches possible.

Monday Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 17. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.

Tuesday
Sunny, with a high near 35. Calm wind becoming northwest around 5 mph.

Tuesday Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 23. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph.

Wednesday
A chance of snow before 9am, then a chance of rain and snow between 9am and 10am, then a chance of rain after 10am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 44. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Wednesday Night
Mostly cloudy, with a low around 33.

Thursday
Partly sunny, with a high near 40.

Thursday Night
Snow likely, mainly after 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 28. Chance of precipitation is 70%.

Friday
A chance of snow before 1pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 38. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Friday Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 20.

Saturday
Sunny, with a high near 34.

Saturday Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 25.

Sunday
A chance of rain and snow. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 44. Chance of precipitation is 30%.