West Orange Prepares For Blizzard: Schools, Parking, Garbage, Jitney Bus, Power Outages

WEST ORANGE, NJ — New Jersey is under a state of emergency as a severe winter storm bears down on the state, including West Orange.

The National Weather Service is predicting that up to two feet of snow may fall in West Orange on Sunday and Monday (see local forecast below). Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s state of emergency declaration took effect at noon on Sunday.

“I am announcing speed restriction of 35 miles-per-hour, which will take effect at 3 p.m.,” Sherrill said. “A commercial vehicle ban will also take effect at 3 p.m. [Sunday] on all our highways – except the Turnpike.”

>> READ MORE: Highway Speed Restrictions, Travel Bans In Place As Brutal Blizzard Barrels Into NJ

The National Weather Service has issued a Hazardous Weather Outlook for West Orange, with a Blizzard Warning for the town lasting until 6 p.m. on Monday.

Here’s the 48-hour local forecast for West Orange, as per the NWS:

Sunday Afternoon - Snow. Steady temperature around 33. Wind chill values between 20 and 25. Northeast wind 11 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. Total daytime snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches possible.

Sunday Night - Snow. The snow could be heavy at times. Areas of blowing snow after 1am. Low around 27. Wind chill values between 10 and 20. Windy, with a north wind 18 to 23 mph increasing to 25 to 30 mph after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 46 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New snow accumulation of 11 to 17 inches possible.

Monday - Snow, mainly before 1pm. The snow could be heavy at times. Areas of blowing snow before 4pm. High near 34. Wind chill values between 10 and 20. Windy, with a north wind 21 to 29 mph, with gusts as high as 46 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New snow accumulation of 3 to 5 inches possible.

Monday Night - Cloudy, then gradually becoming partly cloudy, with a low around 20. Wind chill values between 10 and 20. Blustery, with a northwest wind 18 to 21 mph, with gusts as high as 31 mph.

WEST ORANGE BATTENS DOWN THE HATCHES

West Orange Mayor Susan McCartney has declared a local state of emergency, which took effect at noon on Sunday.

West Orange public schools will be closed on Monday, Feb. 23. All afterschool activities and the board of education meeting are also canceled.

The town's Temporary Parking Prohibition for Snow Plowing and Removal Ordinance will be in effect during the storm. No vehicles may be parked on specified streets for the duration of the storm and snow removal operations. A list of affected streets can be seen online here.

Here are some other things to know ahead of the snowstorm, according to the township:

• Garbage and recycling collection is suspended on Monday, Feb. 23. Please do not place garbage or recycling bins at the curb prior to or during this storm. If Tuesday’s collection is affected, an additional announcement will be made.
• The morning and evening jitney services will be canceled on Monday, Feb. 23.
• Please do not throw shoveled snow into the street. Please pile snow to the right of your driveway on your property.
• To assist the Fire Department during emergencies, please keep fire hydrants accessible by clearing ice and snow from them.
• In the event you lose power, please report your outage to PSE&G by texting OUT to: 4PSEG (47734) or call: 800-436-PSEG (7734). You must also contact PSE&G should you smell gas or see downed wires. Visit PSE&G’s Outage Map for the latest outage updates, restoration times and crew locations across New Jersey at https://nj.pseg.com/outageandgasleaks.
• New Jersey American Water asks that any visible leaks or emergencies are reported through their online tool: https://emergency.amwater.com/pre-login. In addition, you can monitor NJAM service disruptions here: https://www.amwater.com/njaw/alerts

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