A cold and active weather pattern has brought winter to the late autumn.
What do you want to talk about first?
Today or Tuesday?
OK, let's talk about today. It will slowly get warmer this morning and the drizzle that's freezing in higher elevations will become less hazardous, according to WeatherWorks in Hackettstown. But the actual melt on untreated surfaces could take some time as the temperature isn't expected to rise above the mid-30s and the day will be mostly overcast, meteorologist Ron Reale said just after 7 o'clock.
Until then, be careful on sidewalks or less-traveled streets. Major routes are in decent shape -- although Interstate 78 was slowed for hours overnight by a fatal accident in Hunterdon County -- but there was ice before sun-up near the side of some roads. The temperature was hovering between 30 and 32 degrees at 7:30.
Trees have about a 10th of an inch of ice on them, but power companies only report minor outages through the region.
Lehigh Valley International Airport had some cancellations and delays on departures this morning.
Schools are opening late and a winter weather advisory is in place until 11 this morning, the National Weather Service says.
OK, Tuesday. Two to four inches of snow, Reale says.
And it should start between 6 and 9 a.m., so it could impact latter part of the morning rush.
It will quickly become steady and nearly as quickly be over, Reale said, calling it "a sneaky little system."
"It will be a pretty solid event for the region," he said. "But it will be all snow. Luckily we won't have to deal with ice or sleet."
The evening rush hour should only be impacted by whatever snow remains on the roads.
There will be cold temperatures aloft and at the surface -- 25 to 30 degrees at street level -- creating a more powdery snow than has fallen so far this fall, he said.
So, OK, I'm going to ask: Are we in for a white Christmas?
"I think it's a little too early for that," he said. "But if this keeps up ..."
Cold and active conditions should stay in place leading up to the holidays, although it could warm some toward the end of the month, he said.
The next snow event after Tuesday could be over the weekend, he said.
So this morning, be careful. If a surface is treated, it's likely wet. If not, beware.
And school buses will be out later this morning with the delays in place, so watch out for school children as well.