Good morning. We continue to monitor the progress of this major winter storm as it impacts the Tri-State area. I was just outside in the elements, and measured the snowfall here in South Plainfield. As of now, there is approximately 17 inches of snow on the ground. Pressure has dropped to 29.11 inches of Hg (Mercury), or 986 millibars, which makes this storm as powerful as a Category One Hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Scale. The good news is that the pressure is presently steady after dropping all day today.

However, the bad news is that, we could be seeing an additional two to three inches before 3:00 AM. According to information from the National Weather Service carried by the Weather Channel’s Weatherscan, a heavy band of snow is moving into Eastern Morris, Eastern Somerset, and Western Middlesex County. Areas affected include Parsippany, Basking Ridge, Summit, and South Plainfield. Looking at the latest radar courtesy of the Weather Channel, it appears that the storm is breaking up a bit on its western fringe. Perhaps some dry air is trying to entrench itself in Western New Jersey along the Pennsylvania border.

The storm is expected to taper off to snow showers by the time many residents wake up later this morning. However, there may not be much to do since the roads, especially the tertiary roads are completely covered with snow. The snow plow just came down my street, and there is still a good deal of snow to remove. The snow amount is amazing. It came up to my knees, and even higher in areas where there was drifting. For those who have dared to venture out in this storm, they have ended up stranded. Cars are stuck in near whiteout conditions along Interstate 280 in Essex County.

More details and updates on the storm’s impact here in Northwestern Middlesex County will be posted later.