NJ Weather: Snow Estimates Released Ahead Of Icy Weekend

NEW JERSEY - Forecasters are warning New Jerseyans Wednesday morning of icy roads due to freezing fog, making visibility during the morning commute difficult.

“Patchy freezing fog early this morning may result in local icy spots on untreated surfaces. Use caution while driving and walking early this morning,” the National Weather Service Mount Holly station tweeted.

A dense fog advisory is now in effect for most of the state, save for Sussex, Warren, Morris, Passaic, Bergen, Essex. Union and Hudson counties.

“Slow down on the roads this morning, as we've seen many accounts of greatly reduced visibility, and observations indicate visibility is less than a quarter mile in some places,” the agency said.

Hazardous road conditions are anticipated to continue through the rest of the week, according to the weather service, as temperatures are expected to plummet Thursday night into Friday with rain switching over to ice and snow for a “prolonged period” in parts of the state.

As of Wednesday morning, the highest snowfall accumulation on Friday is expected to be around less than an inch in Morris, Warren, Hunterdon and Sussex counties. Parts of Passaic and Somerset counties should see similar accumulations. But while the greatest chance for sustained snowfall and icy conditions will be from the I-78 corridor northward, other areas of the Garden State could see a wintry mix.

“There is an increasing chance now that the rain changes to some freezing rain, sleet and/or snow into the I-95 corridor and possibly to the coast,” the National Weather Service said in a forecast discussion Wednesday morning.

AccuWeather notes that localized power outages, travel delays and tree damages are possible in northern New Jersey.

Precipitation is expected to end Friday evening, the agency said.

In other weather-related news, the country's premier Groundhog Day celebrity, Punxsutawney Phil, predicted whether or not we’ll have to endure six more weeks of winter this morning. Read more: Groundhog Day 2022: Did Punxsutawney Phil See His Shadow?

Here is the latest forecast:

North Jersey

Wednesday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 42. Light and variable wind.

Wednesday Night: A slight chance of rain and snow showers between 10 p.m. and 11 p.m., then a chance of rain showers. Cloudy, with a low around 34. Calm wind. Chance of precipitation is 40 percent.

Thursday: Showers. High near 44. Calm wind becoming southwest around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80 percent. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.

Thursday Night: Showers. Low around 30. Calm wind becoming northwest around 6 mph after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 100 percent.

Friday: Rain showers, freezing rain and sleet, possibly mixed with snow showers before 2 p.m., then snow showers are likely, possibly mixed with freezing rain and sleet between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m., then snow showers and freezing rain likely after 3 p.m. The sleet could be heavy at times. Temperature falling to around 28 by 5 p.m. North wind 7 to 9 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90 percent.

Friday Night: A chance of freezing rain before 7 p.m. Cloudy, then gradually becoming partly cloudy, with a low around 16. Chance of precipitation is 30 percent.

South Jersey

Wednesday: Areas of dense fog before noon. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a high near 43. East wind around 5 mph becoming south in the afternoon.

Wednesday Night: A chance of rain, mainly after 3am. Patchy fog after 8pm. Otherwise, cloudy, with a low around 36. Calm wind becoming southeast around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30 percent.

Thursday: A chance of rain. Cloudy, with a high near 50. South wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50 percent. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.

Thursday Night: Rain. Low around 39. Southwest wind 5 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100 percent. New precipitation amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.

Friday: Rain before 4 p.m., then freezing rain and sleet likely. High near 44. North wind 10 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100 percent.

Friday Night: Freezing rain and sleet likely before 7 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 18. Chance of precipitation is 60 percent. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.