NJ Storm Update: National Weather Service Warns Of 'Significant Ice' Accumulation, Forecasters Are 'Anxious'

The forecast was supposed to be straightforward. By Friday evening, New Jersey would be buried under five to nine inches of snow. Weather models had largely agreed for days. Yet nature, it seems, had other plans.

As the evening progressed and temperatures proved warmer aloft than expected, what began as a winter snowstorm morphed into something far more insidious: a glazing ice event that transformed roads from merely challenging into genuinely treacherous.

All 21 New Jersey counties remained under a state of emergency as meteorologists scrambled to revise their predictions, and officials grappled with a threat far more destructive than the snow they had spent days preparing to manage.

The National Weather Service issued updated forecasts Friday night reflecting an uncomfortable new reality. 'We are now starting to get anxious about ice accumulation, since several more hours of freezing rain may put some areas in the game for ice storm warning criteria,' the service stated. The shift was dramatic.

Warren and Sussex counties, which had been forecast to receive up to eight inches of snow, saw their totals cut in half as sleet and freezing rain increasingly dominated the precipitation mix. Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Passaic, and Union counties maintained winter storm warnings with expectations of four to eight inches, yet even these figures carried uncertainty. Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Sussex, and Warren counties saw their designations downgraded to winter weather advisories as snow totals plummeted.

The reason for this meteorological about-face lies in a phenomenon meteorologists call 'overrunning'—a situation where warmer, moisture-laden air slides upward over a layer of colder air trapped near the surface. Compounded by a wind direction shift bringing milder ocean air, the combination proved lethal to snow accumulation forecasts.

'The computer models were struggling all week to figure out how much snow would fall because of this pattern,' explained Bob Ziff, a spokesperson for North Jersey weather observers. 'So even with 20 degrees at the surface, the southeast winds were bringing in milder air higher up in the atmosphere, leading to sleet or rain mixing in with the snow as it fell.'

By the early hours of Saturday morning, the extent of the forecast miss became apparent. Ramsey, New Jersey recorded only four inches by 3 a.m., whilst Poughkeepsie, New York, just across the state border, had accumulated 8.1 inches. Park Ridge, New Jersey showed merely 2.2 inches as of 9 p.m. Friday. The sleet had begun mixing in around 7 p.m., fundamentally altering what fell from the sky.

Winter Storm and Ice Hazards: When Conditions Turn from Bad to Worse

The shift from snow to ice represented far more than a forecasting embarrassment. It created genuine operational challenges for critical infrastructure. James Tedesco, Bergen County executive, articulated the stakes plainly: 'We have six major hospitals here in Bergen County. We have to make sure all the roadways around those hospitals are accessible.'

With emergency services already stretched by holiday-season demand, ice-slicked roads surrounding medical facilities posed a particular hazard.

A commercial vehicle ban took effect at 3 p.m. Friday, yet the real danger lay not with banned tractor trailers but with ordinary drivers navigating suddenly treacherous conditions. Route 17, a major north-south artery, experienced near-whiteout conditions with reports of spinouts. Downtown Ridgewood looked picturesque under fresh snow, yet beauty masked danger on surrounding roads where accumulated ice created skating-rink conditions.

The broader meteorological situation remained volatile. Significant ice accumulation threatened Hunterdon, Somerset, and northern Mercer counties. Precipitation was expected to taper off Saturday morning, with temperatures struggling to climb above freezing. Saturday's high reached only 32°F, with overnight lows plummeting to 17°F.

Sunday brought a slight reprieve with temperatures potentially reaching 38°F, though freezing rain remained possible Sunday evening—a scenario that concerned weather experts given the accumulated snow and ice already coating roads.

'I'm more concerned as to what happens if we get freezing rain Sunday night on top of the snow and ice that's already on the ground,' Ziff noted, 'noting that the timing is bad for people returning from their holiday weekends.'

Winter Storm Impacts: Airports, Roads, and Health Warnings

By early Saturday morning, the consequences were visible across the region's transportation network. Newark Airport recorded 28 delays and 105 cancellations. John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York reported 82 delays and 189 cancellations. LaGuardia tallied 11 delays and 102 cancellations. The winter storm's icy grip extended beyond aviation.

State law required motorists to remove all snow and ice from their vehicles before driving on public roads—windows, hood, roof, and trunk. Non-compliance carried fines of $25 to $75. If dislodged snow or ice caused property damage or injury, penalties escalated to $200 to $1,000 for non-commercial vehicles and $500 to $1,500 for commercial drivers.

The storm also prompted health warnings. Shovelling snow in cold conditions creates a perfect cardiovascular storm, according to Dr. Barry Franklin, a retired American Heart Association expert.

The act combines static exertion, arm work, lifting heavy loads, and cold air exposure—five distinct stressors that collectively elevate heart rate and blood pressure whilst constricting blood vessels. For older residents clearing accumulated snow from driveways, the risk of cardiac strain proved genuine and potentially fatal.

As Monday approached, conditions would turn significantly milder, with temperatures reaching the 50s and rain showers likely. Yet the preceding 24 hours represented precisely the sort of winter meteorological surprise that transforms routine weekends into genuine trials of preparation, patience, and practical caution.

New Jersey had weathered the worst, though not quite in the form forecasters had predicted.