STORM WATCH: Winter storm to bring heavy rain, some snow to parts of New Jersey

Northern parts of the state will see some snow or a wintry mix. The southern half of the state will see only rain.

News 12 Staff

Jan 2, 2024, 10:28 AM

Updated 313 days ago

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ALERTS: Winter storm warnings have been issued for Sussex, Morris, Warren, western Bergen and western Passaic counties. Winter weather advisories have been issued for western Essex, western Union, eastern Passaic, eastern Bergen, and Hunterdon counties. These alerts are for Saturday afternoon through Sunday due to accumulating snow, icing and hazardous travel conditions.
A coastal flood advisory has been issued for Ocean County through Sunday morning because of flood potential at high tide combined with heavy rain this weekend.
FORECAST: A winter storm is expected to produce rain and snow across New Jersey. Rain is expected along the coast in central and southern New Jersey with snow most likely at higher elevations north and west where the availability of colder air lingers.
There is going to be a sharp cut-off from the heavy snow near the Delaware Water Gap to the rain in central Jersey. The "mixing" zone looks really thin, somewhere along Route 202 from Lambertville to Bridgewater through Union/Summit, cusping Hudson and Union counties. Anything south of that line may be just plain rain for most of the duration. North of that line will expect 1-3 inches of snow with 3-6 inches, locally higher amounts in the higher elevations north of I-80. There will be a thin area of wet snow/rain across that line, and it may gently push north during the duration of the storm, limiting snow totals on the southern end of snow forecasts.
Wind down the Jersey Shore, rain down in central and south Jersey. Some flooding is possible, as 1-2 inches of rain. Coastal gusts near 30-40 mph.
TIMING: Saturday around 4 p.m. until around 7 a.m. Sunday. Lingering showers/snow showers until late morning, but not too heavy. The storm doesn't end "sharply,” but gradually.
COMING UP: Tuesday into Wednesday - another system looks to move in with heavy rain. Because of the saturated ground and already high water, the rivers may flood. Something the News 12 Storm Watch Team is keeping an eye on.