Gov. Murphy declares state of emergency ahead of winter storm

Gov. Phil Murphy issued a state of emergency to go into effect at midnight ahead of Tuesday’s winter storm.
New Jersey is expected to see several inches of snow starting during the overnight hours and lasting through Tuesday afternoon. Heavy rain is expected for the rest of the day on Tuesday.
Parts of New Jersey could see up to 6 inches of snow Tuesday – particularly in the northwestern areas of the state. Meteorologists say that icing conditions are expected to be the worst part of the storm.
Parts of New Jersey could see up to 6 inches of snow Tuesday – particularly during the northwestern areas of the state. Meteorologists say that icing conditions are expected to be the worst part of the storm.
Hundreds of New Jersey school districts announced closures for Tuesday, ahead of the storm. The governor also said that state offices will have a two-hour delayed opening.
The New Jersey Department of Transportation issued a commercial vehicle travel ban for all state highways, except for the New Jersey Turnpike and Garden State Parkway ahead of the storm, which also goes into effect at midnight.
DOT officials say that this is to keep the roadways safer and allow DOT crews to spread salt and plow away the snow.
DOT officials also say that extra equipment will be pre-positioned in areas around Interstates 280 and 78, areas that often have road problems during inclement weather. Murphy says that there will be extra tow trucks and other safety assets.
The state will deploy 2,500 plows and salt trucks. more than tripling the 700 they had on the roads Sunday night.
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Murphy advises all New Jersey residents to stay inside as much as possible once they get home Monday evening. He says that staying off the road will allow crews to properly treat and prepare roadways ahead of the storm.
Tuesday’s storm may also see heavy sleet and icy rain, which could lead to power outages. Officials with the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities warns all New Jerseyans to stay away from any downed power lines. People who lose power are advised to immediately report the outage to their utility company so that crews can know where the outages are happening.