NWS: Travel in coastal N.J. is ‘not recommended’

With snowfall rates and winds expected to increase this afternoon, the National Weather Service says to avoid traveling.

According to an update issued late this morning by the National Weather Service office in Mount Holly, moderate to heavy snow will continue to fall through mid-afternoon from Cape May up to at least Asbury Park.

A Winter Storm Warning continues for Ocean, Atlantic, and Cape May counties, and the previously issued Winter Weather Advisory for Monmouth County has been upgraded to a Winter Storm Warning.

The update says to expect snowfall rates of at least an inch an hour and frequent visibilities of a quarter- to a half-mile.

For some spots from Atlantic City to Cape May, there will be couple of hours of snow falling at two to three inches an hour.

Snow will be drifting and blowing at the coast with northerly winds gusting to 20 to 25 miles per hour.

“Even interstates or highways will be snow covered and slippery at the height of the storm,” the service’s forecasters wrote.

Due to these conditions, the forecasters say, travel is not recommended. Posted speeds have been reduced on both the Atlantic City Expressway and Garden State Parkway. 

By early evening when snow begins to taper off, the National Weather Service is now calling for eight inches to a foot on the ground in coastal areas from southern Ocean County to the south and six to eight inches through Monmouth County. See the latest forecast graphic here. 

You can see real-time traffic reports from Jersey Shore Hurricane News contributors here. As of 11:30 a.m., the contributors say roadway conditions are generally bad at the Jersey Shore, with some not yet salted or plowed. 

In Manahawkin, Nina Yepez Horner reported that plows are on the streets late this morning “but it’s sticking so fast you can’t tell it just went by.”