Bitter Cold Temps Prompt Code Blue Alert In Morris County: What To Know

MORRIS COUNTY, NJ — A Code Blue Weather Emergency is in effect for Morris County through Wednesday as the National Weather Service warns of dangerously cold temperatures, officials said.

Most of the state will get freezing temperatures 10 to 20 degrees below the historical average for late November, making it feel more like late December or January in terms of nighttime low, according to accuweather.com.

Read More: Snow Showers, Dropping Temps In Tuesday Forecast For NJ

A Code Blue declaration is issued in Morris County when dangerously cold weather threatens individuals or families who do not have shelter. During the declaration, the county aims to provide short-term shelter in clean, safe locations.

The Morris County Office of Temporary Assistance can help with temporary shelter assistance, warming center assistance, rental assistance and utility assistance.

During business hours, many public libraries, shopping malls and senior centers serve as warming centers. These locations are intended to serve as a temporary location for a person to warm up, not as a shelter.

"Protecting vulnerable people during extreme weather is one of the guardian roles of law enforcement officers, who are typically aware of homeless and at-risk people in their communities and know what needs to be done to help those people survive the night," Morris County Sheriff James M. Gannon said.

Here are some tips on how to keep homes safe and cope with extreme winter weather:

• Stay indoors as much as possible.
• Check all windows and doors for drafts.
• Do not leave space heaters unattended.
• Do not use generators indoors.
• Have a “kid-free zone” around open fires and space heaters.
• Never use your oven to warm up your home.

Additional after-hours and overnight warming centers will be listed for public viewing here.

Take a look at the upcoming forecast:

Tuesday: A chance of snow showers, mainly between 1 and 5 p.m. Partly sunny, with a high near 32. Breezy, with a west wind 15 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40 percent.

Tuesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 22. West wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph.

Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 37. Southwest wind around 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.

Wednesday Night: Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming clear, with a low around 25. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph.