Nearly 30 million face heavy snow, fierce winds as historic’ blizzard takes aim at New Jersey

The countdown has begun. A winter storm of potentially historic proportions is zeroing in on New Jersey, and the warnings from officials carry a rare and urgent weight: get home, get ready, and do not plan on leaving until it’s over.

Gov. Mikie Sherrill has signed Executive Order No. 14 declaring a state of emergency across all 21 counties of New Jersey, effective at noon Sunday.

The rapidly strengthening storm will shut down much of the northeastern United States from Sunday to Monday as snow is forecast to pile up with blizzard conditions in coastal areas.

The order warns of “blizzard conditions with wind gusts up to 55 miles per hour, and heavy and widespread snow accumulations exceeding 12 inches, with locally higher amounts as high as 18 to 24 inches possible.”

This is not a gentle snowfall to be watched from a window; this is a full-bore assault from a rapidly intensifying nor’easter that meteorologists are comparing to the legendary storms of the past decade.

“Beginning tomorrow and continuing into Monday, we expect to see a winter storm bring severe blizzard conditions across our state,” said Sherrill earlier today. “We are urging all New Jerseyans to use caution, stay off the roads, and follow all safety protocols during the storm.”

The National Weather Service has upgraded its warnings, placing 17 of the state’s 21 counties under a Blizzard Warning or Winter Storm Warning.

The executive order notes that Blizzard Warnings are in effect for Monmouth, Ocean, eastern Burlington, Atlantic, and Cape May counties, while the rest of the state faces Winter Storm Warnings with the same potential for paralyzing snow.

This isn’t a term they use lightly. It means that for three hours or more, the region will be hammered by sustained winds or frequent gusts of 35 mph or more, combining with heavy snow to drop visibility to a quarter-mile or less.

In plain English, it means you won’t be able to see across the street. It means getting lost in your own neighborhood. It means conditions that turn a simple drive into a life-threatening gamble.

Coastal Flood Warnings are also in effect for Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean, southeast Burlington, Atlantic, and Cape May counties.

The storm is expected to begin its slow crawl into the area Sunday morning, but the real fury will be unleashed Sunday night into Monday. Forecasters are warning of whiteout conditions as snow falls at rates of two to three inches an hour, driven by wind gusts that could top 55 mph.

The executive order itself notes that the snow will be coming down hard enough—exceeding two inches per hour at its peak—to make travel not just difficult, but impossible. The order also warns of a Coastal Flood Watch for several counties, where widespread moderate to potentially major coastal flooding is possible.

This is the kind of storm that has a memory. The last time the region felt a blow like this was in January 2016, when a blizzard unofficially dubbed “Snowzilla” paralyzed the East Coast, dumping 27.5 inches on New York City’s Central Park and leaving a trail of closures and quiet, snow-choked streets in its wake.

For parts of New Jersey, that storm dropped more than 30 inches.

The 2016 storm was blamed for more than two dozen deaths. While forecasters are currently predicting 13 to 18 inches for most of the area, some coastal communities in New Jersey are being told to prepare for totals up to 24 inches that could rival that 2016 monster.

The convergence of energy from the Ohio Valley with moisture from the Gulf and the Atlantic is creating a system with the ferocity of a winter hurricane.

Its central pressure off the coast is expected to rival that of a major tropical storm, collapsing cold air into the system and ensuring that all precipitation falls as heavy, wet snow.

It is that wet, heavy snow, piling onto trees and power lines still bare from the recent deep freeze, that has officials most worried.

The executive order specifically warns that wind gusts could bring down trees and power lines, leading to widespread outages that would leave residents in the dark and the cold.

It authorizes the State Director of Emergency Management to order evacuations, utilize state facilities for shelter, and commandeer privately owned property if necessary. The order also activates the New Jersey National Guard to provide aid where needed.

The message from every level of state government is unified and stark: this is the real thing. Officials are directing residents to visit ready.nj.gov for important weather updates and safety information.

The timing could not be more treacherous. The storm’s most violent phase is predicted to stretch through the overnight hours and directly into the Monday morning commute. For millions of workers across New Jersey, the question of how to get to their jobs will be moot; the only correct answer is to not go at all.

And yet, as the digital forecasts harden and the probabilities become certainties, there is a strange quiet before the roar. Residents are being told to charge their devices, check on their neighbors, and secure three days’ worth of medication and food.

The time for preparation is now. By Sunday night, the only thing to do will be to wait and listen to the wind.