Winter Storm Watch In Wayne: What To Know

WAYNE, NJ — As another winter storm heads to Wayne, with forecasters predicting 2 to 3 inches on Friday, officials are reminding residents and offering tips to prepare.

Snowfall is slated to begin around 4 to 7 a.m. Friday, with the steadiest drop taking place late morning through Friday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).

"Almost the entire area will see accumulating snow," the National Weather Service Mount Holly station wrote, adding that most counties will see 2 to 5 inches of snowfall, although 6 inches of accumulation will be possible in eastern Pennsylvania and central and southern New Jersey.

A winter weather advisory will be in effect from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. on Friday in Wayne.

The snowfall is expected to taper off from west to east late Friday afternoon through Friday evening, though freezing or near-freezing temperatures are expected to linger through Sunday.

"Plan on slippery road conditions. The hazardous conditions will likely impact the Friday evening commute," NWS said.

A Code Blue Weather Emergency is currently in effect for Passaic County and will last through the weekend as the National Weather Service warns of dangerously cold temperatures in the region, officials said.

The code blue is in place until Jan. 21, from 9 p.m. to 9 a.m., according to officials.

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.

The new after-hours Code Blue emergency hotline is 2-1-1.

Officials offered several safety tips for residents. They include:

• Keep the house heated to a minimum of 68 °F. The temperatures inside the walls where the pipes are located is substantially colder than the walls themselves. A temperature lower than 68 °F will not keep the inside walls from freezing.
• Identify the locations for the main water shutoff in your home. Find out how it works in case you have to use it.
• Open hot and cold faucets enough to let them drip slowly. Keeping water moving within the pipes will prevent them from freezing.
• Check on seniors to make sure that they are warm and dry.
• Stay indoors as much as possible.
• Check all windows and doors for drafts. Place plastic if you feel a draft.
• Do not leave space heaters unattended.
• Do not use generators indoors.
• Keep anything that can burn at least three feet away from heating equipment, like the furnace, fireplace, wood stove, or portable space heater.
• Have a three-foot “kid-free zone” around open fires and space heaters.
• Never use your oven to heat your home.
• Remember to turn portable heaters off when leaving the room or going to bed.
• Take inventory of emergency items.

Here’s the latest forecast, according to the NWS:

Friday: Snow. High near 30. Wind chill values between 20 and 25. Northeast wind 5 to 9 mph. The chance of precipitation is 80 percent. New snow accumulation of 2 to 4 inches possible.

Friday Night: A 50 percent chance of snow, mainly before 10 p.m. Cloudy, then gradually becoming partly cloudy, with a low around 15. Wind chill values between 5 and 15. Northwest wind 8 to 10 mph.

Saturday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 21. Northwest wind 14 to 16 mph.

Saturday Night: Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly clear, with a low around 13.

Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 27. Blustery.