Snow expected to make Friday afternoon’s commute pretty nasty

With a storm brewing just off the coast, a fast-moving snowfall is expected to hit parts of New Jersey on Friday afternoon, posing potentially slippery and dangerous roadways for drivers during the rush-hour commute.

The National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory for the southern half of the state from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m., with 2 to 4 inches of snow expected from Ocean County down to Cumberland and Cape May counties.

UPDATE (11:30 a.m. Friday): The winter weather advisory has been expanded to include Mercer, Middlesex and Monmouth counties, where 2 to 3 inches of snow is now expected. This advisory runs from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, with the heaviest and steadiest snow expected to fall between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m.  

“Below-freezing temperatures will allow for snow to stick on untreated roads,” the National Weather Service said in its latest advisory. “Plan on travel delays with roads becoming snow covered and reduced visibility at times during the evening rush hour.”

Here’s the latest snowfall forecast from the National Weather Service office in Mount Holly, updated at about 10:40 a.m. Friday. (Note: The snow forecast for northeastern sections of New Jersey and New York City are in a map below.) 

A winter weather advisory has also been issued for New York City and Nassau County on Long Island, effective from 1 p.m. to 10 p.m. Another advisory was issued earlier for Suffolk County, and that one runs from 1 p.m. Friday to 1 a.m. Saturday.

The storm off the coast is expected to bring just enough moisture to cause the snow in the afternoon, according to AccuWeather.com.

Areas in northern New Jersey could see a dusting of snow, possibly up to 2 inches, forecasters said. Snow is also expected in southeast Pennsylvania, parts of Delaware, all the way down to Baltimore and Washington, D.C.

The National Weather Service says roads will be slippery with limited visibility, and drivers should use caution when driving home from work or picking up their children from school.

Expect clear conditions on the Friday morning commute, but bundle up, as temperatures remain in the upper 20s.

The snow on Friday is expected to begin mainly after 2 p.m., according to forecasters, and will continue into the evening, tapering off before 10 p.m. Temperatures Friday night are expected to be in the mid-20s.

Conditions will clear up over the weekend with temperatures remaining chilly, especially in the evenings.

On Saturday, it should be mostly sunny with a high of about 40 and wind gusts as high as 28 mph. Saturday evening will be partly cloudy, with a low of about 26. Sunday is forecast to be mostly sunny with a high of about 43 and a slight chance of rain in the evening.

Here’s the latest snowfall forecast for northeastern sections of New Jersey, as well as New York City and Long Island, updated at about 11:30 a.m. Friday.  

Frigid December morning

Earlier this morning, most of New Jersey had temperatures in the teens and low 20s, but a few places dipped down into the single digits. 

These are among the coldest temperature readings reported Friday morning by the New Jersey Weather Climate Network, based at Rutgers University, and the National Weather Service. (Note: These are the actual air temperatures — not wind-chill readings.) 

•  1 degree in Walpack (Sussex County)
•  4 degrees in Pequest (Warren County)
•  5 degrees in Basking Ridge (Somerset County)
•  6 degrees in Kingwood (Hunterdon County)
•  6 degrees in Sussex Borough (Sussex County)
•  7 degrees in Hackettstown (Warren County)
•  8 degrees in Hopewell (Mercer County)
•  8 degrees in High Point (Sussex County)
•  8 degrees in Somerville (Somerset County)
•  9 degrees in Wantage (Sussex County)
• 10 degrees in Hillsborough (Somerset County)
• 10 degrees in Morristown (Morris County)

NJ Advance Media staff writer Len Melisurgo contributed to this report. Spencer Kent may be reached at skent@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @SpencerMKent. Find the Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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