School Closures, Snow Totals In Howell During Nor’easter

HOWELL, NJ - A “major" nor'easter hit the Howell area on Monday, producing nearly eight inches of snow as of Monday evening and 30 mph winds, prompting municipal and school closures.

The National Weather Service labeled the "major" system a "nor'easter" since it's expected to produce strong, sustained damaging winds and precipitation over a 24-hour period on Monday and into Tuesday. Howell Township’s Office of Emergency Management characterized the storm as one that “could be Howell's first real snow in 2 years”.

We're gearing up for what could be Howell's first real snow in 2 years, beginning Sunday night into Tuesday. Be sure to sign up for Nixle alerts by texting "HowellAlerts" to 888777.
As such a Snow emergency has been issued for Howell beginning at 4PM.
— Howell Township Office of Emergency Management (@HowellNJOEM) January 31, 2021

The storm was expected to be fierce enough to cause power outages and more was expected to arrive overnight and into Tuesday (see the updated forecast below).

Howell and Farmingdale issued a state of emergency on Feb. 1 at 11 a.m., effective until rescinded by the Howell Office of Emergency Management.

"To protect the safety and welfare of the residents, travel should be limited during this Emergency. Residents are urged to stay home," the township wrote. "Vehicles shall be removed from the street that are parked. The owner of those vehicles shall remove vehicles parked in the street. Failure to comply could result in a summons issued, or the vehicle towed from the street, or both.All sports equipment must be also removed from the street."

All parked vehicles, empty trash/recycling containers and sports equipment must be removed from the street, according to a Sunday news flash from the township.

A coastal flooding warning was also issued for Middlesex, Western Monmouth, Eastern Monmouth, Ocean, and Southeastern Burlington counties on Feb. 1 from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Feb. 2 by the National Weather Service.

“As a reminder, whenever snow has fallen and the accumulation is such that it covers the street or highway, an emergency shall exist and no vehicles, equipment or personal property shall be parked on the streets, roadways, highways or right-of-ways. The parking prohibition shall remain in effect after the snow has ceased, until all salting and plowing has been accomplished, and to the extent that parking will not interfere with the normal flow of traffic,” the township wrote in a statement on social media.

“All portable sports equipment and apparatus in the public streets and right-of-way of the Township are prohibited during winter months which, for the purpose of this section, shall mean November 1 through March 31.”

The Howell Township K-8 school district announced a snow day on Monday and Tuesday, following in the footsteps of nearby districts.

"Due to the inclement weather the Howell Township Public Schools will be closed, with no remote instruction taking place, on Tuesday, February 2nd," the district wrote. "The PAL Before Care and After Care Programs will also be closed. Wednesday, February 3rd will be a virtual day of school as previously scheduled."

Howell High School, a part of the Freehold Regional High School District, is also closed Monday and Tuesday.

The Howell recycling center will be closed both Feb. 1 and 2 due to the storm.

State officials said they have more than 400 pieces of road equipment available to make the roads safe, even though fewer people are taking to the roads because of the coronavirus. Monmouth county officials have also announced the deployment of 250 trucks and equipment to prepare roads ahead of the storm.

"My fellow Commissioners and I advise anyone who needs to travel during this storm to proceed with caution and allow for extra time to get where they are going as roadways will be slippery," said Commissioner Director Thomas A. Arnone, liaison to the Monmouth County Department of Public Works and Engineering.

“If you come across County snow and ice control trucks and equipment, make sure to give them room to do their work."

Power outage updates and estimated restoration times, cause and crew status can be viewed on JCP&L’s live map: http://spr.ly/NJOutageMap. If a power outage occurs, you can report the outage to First Energy at 1-888-544-4877 (1-888-LIGHTSS).

Here is the latest forecast:

Monday night: Snow before 9 p.m., then rain and snow between 9 p.m. and midnight and snow after midnight. Low temperatures around 29. North winds at 15 to 25 mph, with gusts as high as 35 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90 percent. New snow accumulation of 1 to 2 inches is possible.

Tuesday: Snow will be likely with high temperatures near 34. North winds around 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60 percent. New snow accumulation of less than one inch possible.

Tuesday night: A chance of rain showers, snow showers and freezing rain before 11 p.m., then a chance of snow showers between 11 p.m. and 1 a.m. Cloudy, with low temperatures around 25. Northwest wind 10 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30 percent. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.