NJ winter storm: Freezing rain to follow snow Tuesday as Friday storm looms
The snow that began Monday night in Monmouth and Ocean counties brought totals between one to four inches, but freezing rain Tuesday and another storm later this week means we might not be in the clear yet.
Top totals in Monmouth County were in the two to four inch range, with the highest being 3.4 inches in Wall, 3 inches in Howell and 2.9 inches in Freehold, according to the National Weather Service. Ocean County saw between one to three inches, with 3 inches in Lanoka Harbour, and 2.5 inches in Brick being the highest reports as of Tuesday morning.
Temperatures ranged in the low- to mid-20s overnight, and some areas remain below freezing Tuesday morning, the weather service said.
Steven DiMartino, meteorologist at NY NJ PA Weather, said the storm evolved as expected.
"With temperatures being so cold, the snow ratio was pretty high, so the accumulation was pretty easy," he said.
Now, he said, is the nasty part of the storm: sleet and freezing rain.
Rain began to move in early Tuesday morning and, closer to the coast where it's warmer, it's likely to stay rain, the weather service said. But further inland, the threat increases to freezing rain due to the colder air.
Just inland in Monmouth and Ocean counties, temperatures are stuck between 31 and 29 degrees, DiMartino said, with freezing rain threatening the area.
"That is not a good place to be," he said. "Even if it gets up to 33 [degrees], it won't last long."
With winds now back to the north, the cold air will start to work back in, bringing the prolonged period of freezing rain that will taper off before turning back into snow early this afternoon, DiMartino said.
"It's going to be real nasty to travel out there," he said.
DiMartino recommends waiting until the rain is done to shovel snow.
"When I go out and shovel the snow when this is done, then I can take all the ice with it," he said.
But more snow could be coming our way on Friday, he said, as there are signs we could be dealing with an inverted trough, which could produce light snow or heavy snow in a localized area.
"We have to wait and see exactly what we're dealing with here," he said.
DiMartino said it could be a dusting, a one- to three-inch incident or an intense band of heavy snowfall, but it's difficult to say which it will be until a little over a day out.
Until then, Wednesday and Thursday will be clear but quite cold, according to the National Weather Service, with temperatures in the 20s and teens at night.
Jenna Calderón covers breaking news and cold cases in Monmouth and Ocean counties. Before coming to the Press, she covered The Queen City for Cincinnati Magazine in Ohio. Contact her at 330-590-3903; jcalderon@gannettnj.com
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Snow in Ocean and Monmouth counties, but is freezing rain next?
