State of emergency declared in New Jersey
Gov. Chris Christie declared a state of emergency in New Jersey Friday night as a major storm threatened to dump up to two feet of snow on parts of the state and cause flooding at the coast.
Christie held a briefing with his Cabinet Friday night and then a news conference, in which he told people to be smart and stay off roadways on Saturday.
Most of the state was facing a blizzard warning from Friday evening until Sunday that called for up to 24 inches of snow, with the deepest accumulations in the central part of the state.
Postal officials announced a suspension in retail and delivery operations as well as of collection of mail in southern and central New Jersey because of blizzard warnings and hazardous conditions predicted.
NJ Transit completely shut down during storm
New Jersey state climatologist David Robinson says back bay flooding and beach erosion at the shore could range from moderate to major, but he doesn’t expect storm surge levels in the northern part of the state to be as bad as they were during superstorm Sandy.
He says they might approach becoming as bad as during Sandy at the southern shore, but counties there got less damage than their northern counterparts.
Christie said that there is concern over beach erosion, but that there’s nothing that shows the need for wide evacuations and flooding is expected to be limited to street flooding.
The snow could fall in some areas at the rate of 1 to 3 inches an hour on Saturday.
A coastal flooding warning is in effect from Ocean County south.
There are concerns the snow will down trees and wires, causing power outages.
Winds gusts along the coast of New Jersey are expected to get up to 70 miles per hour during the day Saturday, according to the National Weather Service at Mount Holly. Winds are considered hurricane force at 75 miles per hour.
The organization is calling the blizzard "crippling and potentially historic."
Tweet from Gov. Chris Christie
South central New Jersey is expected to get the heaviest snowfall during the winter storm that could pummel the Northeast over the next 36 hours, according to the most recent update from the NWS in Mount Holly.
Middle- and high-end snowfall estimates have increased by about five inches throughout the whole state, meaning much of central and southern Jersey could get up to 28 inches.
"We're at a point where all of this is going to be a reality over the next 36 hours," state climatologist David Robinson said. "With it knocking at the door, all that remains now it getting out the ruler and finding how much snow will fall."
Event cancellations around the Shore
Airlines canceled around 7,600 flights to, from or within the U.S. for Friday and Saturday, as a blizzard began covering much of the Eastern U.S.
The bulk of Friday’s 3,500 cancelations are in Charlotte and Raleigh, North Carolina, according to flight tracking service FlightAware. Another 4,100 flights were canceled for Saturday. Those cancelations center on Philadelphia, Washington, and New York, with airlines essentially shutting down all flights into those cities.
By Sunday afternoon, however, the airlines hope to be back to a full schedule to handle the typical influx of business travelers heading out to start a week on the road.
Overall, the airlines have canceled about 15 percent of their scheduled flights in the U.S. for Friday and Saturday.
One bit of good news: 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 FlightAware. That’s about 5,000 fewer flights — and 400,000 fewer passengers — than on Thursday or Friday.
All major airlines have issued waivers for travel over the weekend, allowing passengers to rebook onto earlier or later flights to avoid the storms. The airports included vary by airline but include some cities in Kentucky, Tennessee and West Virginia all the way up the coast to New Hampshire and Massachusetts. American Airlines alone has issued waivers for 42 airports.
For those looking to instead cancel their trips, they need to wait until the airline officially cancels their flight. Airlines have been much more proactive in recent years about canceling flights, often doing so up to a day in advance. More travelers are impacted but they aren’t stuck waiting in airports. It also lets airlines restart the system quicker because they have planes and crews in place.
If your flight is canceled and maybe you are stuck at the airport, consider taking these actions:
— If your flight is canceled — and you are at the airport — get in line to speak to a customer service representative. But also call the airline directly. If the phone lines are jammed, try the airline’s overseas numbers. You’ll pay long-distance rates, but might not have to wait. (Put those numbers in your phone now.) Finally, consider sending a tweet to the airline.
— There are more to airline lounges than free drinks and lights snacks. The real secret to the lounges is that the airline staffs them with some of its best — and friendliest — ticket agents. The lines are shorter and these agents are magically able to find empty seats. So consider buying a one-day pass. It typically costs $50 but discounts can sometimes be found in advance online.
— If weather causes cancellations, use apps like HotelTonight and Priceline to find last-minute hotel discounts for that night. Warning: Many of the rooms are nonrefundable when booked, so lock in only once you are stuck.
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Wind and snow at a glance
Long Beach Island
Warning type: Winter storm, coastal flood
Minimum snow: 2 inches
Likely snow: 9 inches
Maximum snow: 18 inches
Maximum wind gusts: 50-60 miles per hour
Jackson
Warning type: blizzard
Minimum snow: 4 inches
Likely snow: 24 inches
Maximum snow: 19 inches
Maximum wind gusts: 40-50 miles per hour
Toms River
Warning type: blizzard, coastal flood
Minimum snow: 2 inches
Likely snow: 16 inches
Maximum snow: 24 inches
Maximum wind gusts: 50-60 miles per hour
Freehold
Warning type: blizzard
Minimum snow: 5 inches
Likely snow: 20 inches
Maximum snow: 28 inches
Maximum wind gusts: 40-50 miles per hour
Asbury Park
Warning type: blizzard, coastal flood
Minimum snow: 2 inches
Likely snow: 16 inches
Maximum snow: 27 inches
Maximum wind gusts: 50-60 miles per hour
Middletown
Warning type: blizzard
Minimum snow: 4 inches
Likely snow: 16 inches
Maximum snow: 27 inches
Maximum wind gusts: 40-50 miles per hour
UPDATE: 14 NJ counties under blizzard watch
Robinson said one of the biggest concerns is how high the water levels will get. Inland, the concern is about power outages, especially in the cold weather.
Water levels are expected to be about a foot higher than normal through three consecutive lunar high tides. With the storm surge and waves, water levels are expected to be 3 to 4 feet above normal, which will likely cause moderate to major coastal flooding.
"The question is, how severe will it get?" Robinson said. "And what are the ramifications of those tides, those winds and that snow, in terms of people who are going to need assistance, whether they're foolish enough to go out, or whether power fails and people will be in need for a medical reason."
UPDATE: More towns issue voluntary evacuations
Several Monmouth and Ocean county towns have already issued voluntary evacuation notices. Barnegat is the only town that's issued a mandatory evacuation for residents living along the bay.
Hours before the anticipated beginning of a winter storm, Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno toured a Jersey Central Power and Light substation in Union Beach where authorities expressed confidence in their preparedness and improvements they made since Superstorm Sandy.
JCP&L President Jim Fakult said they've got staff standing by, including 500 lineman, 90 line contractors, 120 hazard crew contractors.
Guadagno attended the press event dressed for the weather, wearing a suit and duck boots. She said she lives in Monmouth Beach.
"So this is home for me," she said.
Andrew Ford contributed to this report. Also contributing: Associated Press.
This is a developing story. Keep checking for the latest updates on the storm.
Kala Kachmar: 732-643-4061; kkachmar@gannettnj.com.