Snow emergencies and early dismissals abounded today, with expected snowfall coming later and in less quantities than previously forecast.
Today’s forecast snowstorm proved more pedestrian than perilous locally.
The National Weather Service about 6 o'clock said accumulations overnight into Saturday morning are expected to range not close to a foot, as previously forecast, but between 4 and 8 inches in the Lehigh Valley and northwestern New Jersey.
Elsewhere, the storm that forecasters warned could be a blizzard for the history books began clobbering the New York-to-Boston corridor today, grounding flights, closing workplaces and sending people rushing to get home ahead of a possible 1 to 3 feet of snow.
Judy Nadal, originally from the Bronx and now living in Easton, took advantage of an early dismissal from her job in the Wall Street area and about 2 p.m. today got on a commuter bus home to the Lehigh Valley.
“Most people are trying to get out,” she said after disembarking about 4 p.m. In New York City, she said, it was “icy and the snow is already coming down.”
Lehigh Valley and northwestern New Jersey schools closed for the day or dismissed early this afternoon, and municipalities declared snow emergencies slated to expire Saturday.
LANTA suspended bus and van service at 8 tonight, with plans to resume normal rounds at 8 Saturday morning; delays or detours are possible, though, depending on road conditions, the agency warned.
Other cancellations ran the gamut, including:
- At Sands Bethlehem Event Center, “Mob Wives” star Ramona Rizzo’s appearance tonight was postponed to a date to be announced and “Scooby-Doo Live! Musical Mysteries” was moved to Saturday night.
- Warren County freeholders pushed Saturday morning’s budget session to 9 a.m. Feb. 16 at the Wayne Dumont Jr. Administration Building in White Township.
- The Easton Farmers’ Market canceled Saturday’s Winter Mart at the Nurture Nature Center, with plans to reopen 10 a.m. Feb. 16.
‘Need to leave early’
Hunterdon and Warren county emergency officials advised workers to head home as soon as possible.
“If at all possible, they need to leave early,” Warren County Public Safety Director Frank Wheatley said of commuters ahead of heavy snow forecast after nightfall.
Mike Alkhal, Bethlehem’s public works director, said crews were out salting streets in areas expected to be more hazardous or freeze over. Plow crews were slated to start at 7 p.m. and remain on duty until 7 Saturday morning, he said.
“We’ll have all hands on deck,” he said. “And we’ll keep an eye on it to see if we have to make any adjustments.”
A snow emergency could be declared in Bethlehem if snowfall totals north of 10 inches, he said.
Prep began Thursday
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation began preparing for the storm Thursday by loading trucks, checking tires and placing plows on those without them, spokesman Sean Brown said. Several trucks will be out later today and crews are ready to work 12-hour shifts, he said.
“They’re waiting for the main part of the snow to come down to get out there and on the road,” he said.
The New Jersey Department of Transportation laid a pretreatment solution of saltwater brine Thursday morning on Interstate 80, Interstate 78 and Route 46.
“You can use it up to a day or two in advance of expected snowstorm events,” department spokesman Tim Greeley said. “It works as the first level of defense as an anti-icing measure.”
Counting contractors on call, NJDOT, the New Jersey Turnpike Authority and the South Jersey Transportation Authority have access to nearly 3,000 vehicles.
“The majority are snow plows, but some are salt spreaders,” Greeley said. “We bring them in as needed.”
The higher snowfall forecasts, in the 6-to-8-inch range, were for most of Warren and Hunterdon counties, with still-higher amounts further north and east.
“Make no doubt about it: in many areas of the state we are going to see some treacherous conditions,” New Jersey Transportation Commissioner James S. Simpson said in a statement. “We will be doing everything within our power to keep the state highways clear and safe, but I urge motorists to do their part by exercising caution, allowing extra travel time, avoiding unnecessary trips and providing our plows enough room to maneuver on the roadways.”
Staff members Tony Rhodin, Zach Lindsey and Peter Panepinto and the Associated Press contributed to this report.