Morris County: Snow closures, cancellations

Morris County residents woke this morning to the perfect excuse to stay home and nurse a Super Bowl hangover — a blast of overnight snow that is icing roads and closing schools and offices from Budd Lake to Butler.

While most of New jersey transitioned to an icy mix overnight, snow was still falling at sunup in Morris County and points north, giving way to freezing rain by 9 a.m. Five inches have fallen in Parsippany, slightly more in the northwest hills of the county, and roads were glazing over at 10 a.m.

The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning for Morris County until 1 p.m. Snow is expected to transition to sleet and freezing rain, leaving roads icy and hazardous. Those conditions may worsen later in the day as a cold front this afternoon may refreeze water on the roads, making for an hazardous afternoon commute.

Schools in the county's largest district, Parsippany, are closed, as they are in Boonton, Butler, Mine Hill, Denville, East Hanover, Florham Park, Harding, Kinnelon, Lincoln Park, Long Hill, Madison, Mendham, the Morris School District, Morris Hills School District, Morris Plains, Mount Arlington, Mountain Lakes, Netcong, Pequannock, Randolph, Riverdale, Rockaway Township, Roxbury, Washington, West Morris and Wharton.

SEE ALSO: Monday's storm forces changes to NJAC schedule http://dailyre.co/1CqhJps

The Delbarton School, Morristown-Beard School, Morris Catholic High School and Villa Walsh Academy also are closed, as are the County College of Morris and Fairleigh Dickinson University, Drew University, the College of St. Elizabeth and all Centenary College locations including Hackettstown and Parsippany.

Delayed openings are scheduled for Boonton Township, Chatham, Chester, the Craig School, Gill St. Bernard's, Hanover, Jefferson, Montville, the Morris County Vocational School District, Mount Olive and the Trinity Christian School. Contact the individual schools for schedule updates.

All Morris County government offices as of 7:30 a.m. have been closed for the day for nonessential employees. The Morris County Courthouse is included in the closing. A delayed opening previously had been announced. Employees in essential functions are asked to report to work as usual.

Morris County Administrator John Bonanni said Monday morning that county buildings and grounds employees were expected to be shoveling, plowing and salting sidewalks and parking lots around the courthouse and administration through the afternoon.

"They have to truck a lot of the snow out," Bonanni said, referring to massive mounds the workers had accumulated in their plow runs. "There's a lot of work to be done. It's a safety issue."

With a refreeze of the snow anticipated Monday night, Bonanni said a determination on whether county offices would be open or on a delayed schedule Tuesday would be made overnight. But he was optimistic the complex would be open for business.

The New Jersey Office of Emergency Management announced delayed opening (10:30 a.m.) for state offices.

"(Last night's) storm is expected to last through tomorrow morning, bringing snow and ice, creating potentially hazardous travel conditions for the morning commute," Acting Gov. Kim Guadagno announced Sunday night. "I strongly encourage all New Jerseyans to exercise caution on the roads tonight and tomorrow morning and, if possible, to stay off the roads so our transportation crews can do their job."

Picatinny Arsenal announced that Morale, Welfare and Recreation Department programs are canceled for the day.

Let us know what you see. Send us your snow pictures, tell us the road conditions in your neighborhood. Tweet #DRstorm on Twitter @DailyRecord or email eabreu@dailyrecord.com.

Morristown garages opened

Morristown officials opened several parking garages for free resident parking, which carries over to today. Those garages include Dalton (Cattano Avenue), Ann/Bank Street, DeHart Street, the Vail Parking Deck (access from South Street) and Headquarters Plaza. The free parking continues through 9 a.m. Tuesday. Parking fees will go into effect after that time.

The Parsippany Police Department issued a reminder on its Facebook page that parking is prohibited on snow-covered streets. The Parsippany Library will open late at 11 a.m.

Parking also is prohibited on streets in Hackettstown until the snow emergency is lifted. Parking is still permitted in municipal lots.

No major traffic accidents or delays had been reported by 7 a.m., but NJ Transit announced it will cross-honor bus, rail, light-rail passes and tickets today.

No major outages have been reported, but JCP&L customers without power are advised to call 888-LIGHTSS (888-544-4877) to report their outage or click the "Report Outage" link on www.firstenergycorp.com.

Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno announced just after 11 p.m. Sunday that state offices will have a delayed opening of 10:30 a.m. Monday for all non-essential employees due to potential inclement weather conditions.

Guadagno is acting governor while Gov. Chris Christie is on an official visit to the United Kingdom and has full executive authority in his absence.

Guadagno said the late start is necessary in order to allow ample time for roadways, parking lots and sidewalks to be cleared and made safe for travel. However, those state employees deemed as essential should report to work on their regular schedule, she said.

"Tonight's storm is expected to last through tomorrow morning, bringing snow and ice, creating potentially hazardous travel conditions for the morning commute," Guadagno said in a prepared statement. "I strongly encourage all New Jerseyans to exercise caution on the roads (Sunday night) and (Monday) morning and, if possible, to stay off the roads so our transportation crews can do their job. I thank them and our first responders for their efforts to keep our residents safe."

A winter storm is expected to bring snow, mixed precipitation and freezing temperatures to the Garden State overnight, producing hazardous travel conditions and affecting transportation. Current road conditions are available at the state Department of Transportation's website at www.NJ511.org, according to the acting governor's statement.

This story will be updated.

Contributing: Erik Larsen

Staff Writer William Westhoven: 973-428-6627; wwesthoven@dailyrecord.com.

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