By Steve Strunsky and Eunice Lee/The Star-Ledger
NEWARK — Winter's not going out without a fight.
A storm moved across New Jersey tonight, bringing high winds and surprisingly intense pockets of snow to the northern half of the state.
Icy roads and poor visibility led to a rash of accidents. As of 9:30 p.m., there were three accidents on Interstate 80 — two in Rockaway Township and one in Paterson — as well as incidents on the Garden State Parkway in Old Bridge and New Jersey Turnpike in Milltown.
Forecasters are warning of a snowy, icing commute tonight and Tuesday morning, under a repeat of Saturday's late-winter flurries, seen here falling on Interstate 95 in Lawrenceville.
In Sussex County, dozens of cars including an oil tanker were abandoned on Route 15 as the storm apparently caught plowers flat-footed, a Star-Ledger reporter at the scene said.
Snowfall topped 2 inches in Newark by 9 p.m., doubling the predicted totals long before the precipitation was predicted to stop.
The National Weather Services issued a winter weather advisory for New Jersey as of 2 p.m. today, until 8 a.m. Tuesday.
NJ Transit began cross-honoring tickets statewide this afternoon, and will continue to allow commuters who normally use trains, buses or light rail systems to switch modes through the end of the day Tuesday.
The agency plans to operate all its services and routes on regular schedules.
The Star-Ledger Munchmobile was turning into a snowmobile Monday night as snow began falling on Newark.
But it warned customers of the possibility of delays or reduced service depending on the severity of the weather. Bus riders in particular were advised to allow extra time for their commute in the event of delays caused by poor road conditions.
A spokesman for the Port Authority of New Jersey, Steve Coleman, said the agency was monitoring the weather, and would take appropriate action at its bridges, tunnels, airports and the PATH system if conditions warrant.
Commuters are being advised to plan for delays on Tuesday morning, as transit officials prepare for late-season snow and ice a day before spring’s official arrival.
"We may see some slick spots form on the roads," said meteorologist Mitchell Gaines of the weather service's Mount Holly station.
High-elevation areas, 1,000 feet or more above sea level, could get up to four inches of snow, Gaines said.
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The storm system that arrived in New Jersey today from the Midwest brought a swath of cold air farther south, Gaines said, adding that typically, it would have been moving farther to the north north.
Though Wednesday officially bids winter goodbye, Gaines said it’s not the calendar that counts.
“Winter's going to linger on longer than usual," he said.
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