Latest: Storm sets its course, Morris County in sights

A Winter Storm Warning was issued for most of Morris County while a Blizzard Warning was issued for much of the state, including the southern tip of Morris, meaning particularly strong winds will blow while heavy snow falls amid limited visibility.

The National Weather Service is calling it a potentially historic storm and forecast snow in Morris County will start in strength at about 2 a.m. Saturday and continue through the day until about 4 a.m. Sunday.

The path of the storm was in doubt for much of the week but Friday the National Weather Service said it would be passing through Morris County, and dropping 8 to 12 inches of snow.

The Weather Service issued a Blizzard Warning for the southern half of Morris County and a Winter Storm Warning for the rest of the county. The snow is expected to continue through the day today before it lets up around 4 a.m. Sunday.

In the Blizzard Warning area, a combination of heavy snow and gusty winds will make for white out conditions, with roads becoming impassible, especially with snowfall rates of 1 to 3 inches per hour at times, according to the Weather Service, which said a Blizzard Warning means sustained winds of 35 mph or greater are expected and visiblity will be severely limited.

The fact that the Weather Service is issuing a “winter storm warning” means there is a greater than 80 percent chance that a hazardous winter weather event will occur. A “warning” is used for conditions posing a threat to life or property, according to the Weather Service.

Winds gusts along the coast of New Jersey are expected to get up to 70 miles per hour, according to a National Weather Service update Friday afternoon. Winds are considered hurricane force at 75 miles per hour.

The National Weather Service is calling the blizzard "crippling and potentially historic."

Temperatures will be in the lower to mid 20s.

The storm should be over early Sunday morning and the forecast for Sunday is for clear skies and temperatures in the mid 30s.

Nationally, the storm could easily cause more than $1 billion in damage and paralyze the Eastern one-third of the nation before its done, according to Louis Uccellini, National Weather Service director.

Gary Szatkowski, the lead meteorologist at NWS Mount Holly, reported that the storm has a lot of energy, and caused more than 1,000 lightning bolts in 15 minutes when it was over Alabama and Mississippi Thursday.

Weather Prediction Center meteorologist Paul Kocin says the blizzard has the potential to be near the top 10 snowstorms in history to hit the East, with the weekend timing and days of warning being a saving grace that could limit death and damage.

All major airlines have issued waivers for travel over the weekend, allowing passengers to rebook onto earlier or later flights to avoid the storms. American Airlines has canceled the bulk of its flights in the Northeast ahead of the storm. Snow, ice and strong winds will all cause problems for fliers.

New York’s three airports - including Newark - will see all Saturday afternoon American flights canceled with flights resuming on Sunday.

The only good news for fliers: Saturday is the slowest travel day of the week. There are a little more than 22,000 flights scheduled to, from or within the U.S., according to flight tracking service FlightAware. That’s about 5,000 fewer flights — and 400,000 fewer passengers — than on Thursday or Friday.

JCP&L has implemented its storm plan, which includes adding dispatchers and analysts at regional dispatch offices, and having additional line, substation and forestry crews ready to go, based on the severity of the storm. Substations in flood-prone areas are being reinforced with flood barriers and pumps

Electrical contractors have been notified they could be required to assist with storm restorations efforts across JCP&L’s service territory over the next several days. In addition, the company has contacted several utility mutual assistance organizations to find out whether crews from other utilities are available if needed.

Customers without power can call 1888-544-4877 to report an outage or click the “Report Outage” link on.

The mayor of Chatham and township committee issued a statement that was representative of what many other towns suggested.

“Over the course of the storm we ask residents to check on their elderly neighbors, remove all cars from snow covered roadways and consider removing any snow from around fire hydrants to ensure easy access by the Fire Department,” Mayor Curt Ritter said.